Today, on the World Pulmonary Hypertension Day the studio of “TRK-Lviv” hosted the television show “On Health”. The guests were: Mychailo Hychka – Honored Doctor of Ukraine, member of the Lviv regional council, the chief doctor of the Lviv regional hospital; Chrystyna Semen – PhD, Head of the Chair of Internal Medicine №2 at Lviv National University of D.Halytskyi; Oksana Kulish – Head of LCCF of “Sister Delila” and NGO “Pulmonary Hypertension – Ukrainian Rare Disease Association” (PH URDA): Tanya Fedosyuk and Victoria Burbura – patients with pulmonary hypertension and Olga Mokritska – a person, who had a double lung transplantation.

Guests wore T-shirts with WPHD symbols, as soon, on May 13-14 in Lviv, at the “Gorichovyi Rai” park  (former cinema “Sokil”) the events to celebrate the WPHD will be held.

Viewers will get the chance to hear from Chrystyna about what is pulmonary hypertension, why it is so dangerous and how to fight it.

The guests discussed the issues of early diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and how difficult and at the same time important it is to detect the disease on early stages.

Patients shared their experiences, telling, that at first doctors diagnosed them with the wrong disease, and only after some time they managed to find the real reason of severe breathlessness and loss of consciousness of the young women.

Tanya Fedosyuk thanked Deputy of Ukraine Bohdan Dubnevych for buying for her the portable nebulizer for inhalation “Ventavis”, which is a vital treatment tool.

Kulish Oksana highlighted the importance of uniting patient organizations, doctors, officials and deputies for the sake of improving the quality of PH patients life. Medical treatment of such people ranging from 40 to 120 thousand UAH per month. Mrs. Oksana also told that thanks to support of US PHA and Tom Lantos Grant they managed to launch the hot line project “Early diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in Lviv region” – (097) 151-09-01.

Mychailo Hychka noted that members of the Lviv regional council understand the vital need of patients with pulmonary hypertension for medicines, that’s why they have approved a regional program of improvement of medical care for patients with pulmonary hypertension in the Lviv region in 2015-2017. He emphasized that the program executant is Lviv Regional Hospital and that he is open to dialogue with patients with PH patients. He also mentioned, that the tender for medicines procurement had been already held and soon the 17 patients included in the Regional Registry will receive the required number of medicines. He added, that the health insurance establishment is required.

Oksana Kulish raised the issue of lack of free medicines for children with pulmonary hypertension in Lviv region and in Ukraine in general.

Participants noted the positive aspects, namely the Regional program of improvement of medical care for patients with pulmonary hypertension in the Lviv region in 2015-2017 and the bill №2386a-1 “On organs transplantation”, adopted by Verkhovna Rada.

Olga Mokritska, the resident of Lviv, the mother of two children, who had a lung transplantation at clinic in Austria, sincerely supported PH patients and shared her own story about hard times of her youth. Though she had a lots of difficulties to overcome, she said, there was no single moment of regret for agreeing for lung transplantation, such hard and desperate step.

The program shooting ended with warm and friendly conversation with a cup of coffee.

WE ARE A REAL PH FAMILY!!!