Ukraine surgeon marvels at SickKids technology
November 20, 2009
Leslie Ferenc
STAFF REPORTER
As he watched a complex surgery at the Hospital for Sick Kids, Ukrainian neurosurgeon Ihor Kurilets couldn't help but think about the state of the medical system in his homeland.
It emerged in shambles after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union. Surgical methods were outdated, hospitals were crumbling and ill-equipped – delicate brain surgery was being performed without microscopes.
Grim reality turned the neurosurgeon into a rebel as he took on the powerful medical establishment at great risk to himself and his future in an effort to improve health care for his people.
Some of the old ways still remain. There's a chronic lack of funds for new facilities, equipment, training and medicine. Bribery remains rampant which means those who pay get treated. And there are many people who simply don't trust the system to help them.
State of the art surgery to treat patients with epilepsy – like the one Kurilets watched being performed by world-renowned surgeon Dr. Jim Rutka at Sick Kids this week – is unknown. "Surgical interventions to treat epilepsy aren't available in Ukraine," Kurilets noted adding those with the most severe conditions would die.
He's hoping to change that with assistance from Canadian colleagues and experts like Rutka.
Kurilets has already has had some success thanks to his friend and mentor British neurologist Henry Marsh. He's been coming to Ukraine for more than 15 years donating his skills operating on patients the medical system has deemed hopeless. The work being done by Marsh and Kurilets is the subject of an internationally acclaimed documentary The English Surgeon released last year.
The documentary will be screened in Toronto on Sunday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Children of Chernobyl Canadian Fund. That charity was set up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to provide medical equipment supplies and aid to Ukrainian hospitals. Kurilets and his wife Olena, a cardiologist, are special guests of the CCCF and will be in attendance at the screenings of the film – a moving and often heart-wrenching story of courage, compassion and miracles.
Since its release, Kurilets has been harshly criticized because the movie reveals to the rest of the world what Ukrainians already know – that the system was broken. And while audiences around the globe lined up to see the award-winning documentary, television stations and cinemas in Ukraine refused to show it.
The backlash hasn't soften Kurilets's resolve. He's faced the wrath of the powerful medical establishment since he began speaking out about "the catastrophic state of Ukraine's medical system," in the early 90s and has been attacked for trying to fix it. "I had many problems, but I don't regret doing what I have done."
Kurilets credits public support and a growing grassroots movement, which has helped him establish two private clinics in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Another is being planned in Western Ukraine. "Some people say it's a crazy idea but I hope to do it by the end of the year," Kuriletz added noting the Canadian visit has inspired him to keep working to full his goal. The trip has also been a dream come true for the physician.
"Canada is a symbol of the future," he said adding Ukrainians have great respect for Canada and its people."
Sunday's screening begins at 3:30 p.m. at Golden Lion Restaurant, 15 Canmotor Ave. Tickets are available at the door and money raised will help purchase medical equipment in Ukrainian hospitals.
To learn more about the documentary and the doctors, go to www.theenglishsurgeon.com.
thestar.com