Huggies®, in collaboration with the "Amor Ukraine Health Organization" charity fund, has funded seven modern BabyPod2 incubators equipped with the latest artificial lung ventilation devices. These evacuation systems will help doctors fight for the health of at least 1,500 premature babies annually. If necessary, just down the road to hospitals.

In 2023, 187,000 children were born in Ukraine, which is the lowest figure since its independence.  According to the Electronic Health Care System, in 11 months of 2023, almost 8,200 premature babies were born in Ukraine — 5.5% of all newborns. Among the reasons, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine names stress and aggravation of health problems in women in labor. Therefore, now more than ever, it is important to have the necessary equipment to help provide the best care for premature babies both in hospitals and on the way to them.

As per Nataliya Martyanova, Head of the Neonatal Center of Mykolaiv Regional Children's Hospital, hospitalization and proper transportation of premature babies especially in such dangerous regions as the south of Ukraine, is a vital necessity: "Since February 24, 2022, our neonatal team has transported 336 newborns in need of ventilators to the intensive care unit. The possibility of using the advanced BabyPod 2 incubator with a synchronized ventilator during transportation will allow timely stabilization of such babies and increase chances of saving their lives."

Since 2015, Huggies has been following its mission to improve and provide better level of care for premature babies as part of its "Born for Hugs" social program. It popularizes the Kangaroo method — the gold standard for caring for "hurried" babies. In the last year alone, 1,800 parents of premature babies received help from Huggies volunteers in the form of special diapers for babies with low weight as well as the necessary information about caring for a premature baby, using the Kangaroo method.

Oleksandr Garbarenko, CEO of Kimberly-Clark in Ukraine and Central Europe, which is the manufacturer of the Huggies brand, says the ever-growing need to safely transport premature babies to hospitals prompted the company to expand the program. "Every child's life is priceless. Evacuation equipment will allow not only to safely and comfortably transport premature babies but also to provide them with a full range of resuscitation measures during transportation. We hope that 7 BabyPod2 incubators will help babies and doctors in their fight for life," he said.

BabyPod2 together with the latest ventilator type - T6 Advanced Mode - is an advanced evacuation kit. The equipment is multipurpose, so it can be used not only during transportation but also as a stationary incubator with a ventilator (if necessary, in the intensive care unit of a hospital).

"In addition to all the technological advantages, the incubators in combination with a portable ventilator are easy to use and do not require intensive training for medical personnel. Various ventilation modes of provided ventilators ensure excellent adaptation to any demanding clinical scenario. According to our calculations, this equipment will help care for at least 1,500 young patients annually," Oleg Sytnyk, Director of the AMOR Ukraine Health Organization Foundation, said.

7 BabyPod2 incubators worth UAH 9 million are already helping doctors and mothers in labor in the intensive care units of Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children's Hospitals, Zaporizhzhia Regional Perinatal Center, Uman Central District Hospital, Voznesensk Multidisciplinary Hospital and Khmelnytskyi Perinatal Center.