Some months
after the third trip to Novozybkov in June 2000 Monica Antonsson became a
member of LC Vallentuna. Some months later 2001 Chernobyls Children /
Novozybkov became a project without a specified goal within the club. A year
later 2002 it was lifted to be a concern for District 101-U.
To define a project
In October
2002 Monica Antonsson went to Novozybkov again on the districts commission.
This time together with IRD Bruno Pettersson (LC Norrköping) and from LC
Vallentuna Anders Rönnholm (president) and Roger Larsson (responsible for
long-distance transports). The aim of the trip was to finally define and
formulate a project for Lions Club Sweden.
They met dr
Lydia Vladimirovna Bavkunova at the Maternity hospital and got fascinated by
her sad eyes and heroic work. With only 13 doctors instead of 33 at the
hospital she very often has to work double time, day and night, to assist the
delivering women. Note that she is well known in Russia as a very clever
surgeon. Besides, she has to take responsibility for the staff, the hospitals
buildings, the equipment (that she does not have), vehicles and everything
else.
Dr Lydia Vladimirovna Bavkunova is - in our eyes - the Angel of
Novozybkov.
That is why we call her hospital The house of the Angel.
The medical
situation in Novozybkov after 1986 is very difficult. Heart diseases and high
blood pressure is common among the pregnant women who lives in radioactive
polluted areas and eat radioactive food. Urine (bladder) illnesses are more
often seen than before and almost all pregnant women gets serious anaemia
and/or problems with the thyroid gland. Dr Lydia says, that all pregnant women
have at least three diseases that have to be treated during their pregnancies.
About 50 per cent of
all pregnancies are at risk for spontaneous abortion. An increasing number of
the women need surgery to be able to give birth at all. About 15 per cent
deliver their babies after Caesarean section. Most women have problems with
keeping the babies inside their bodies long enough. Many children are born
premature, which can lead to their death.
Serious bleedings,
that can lead to the death of the mother, is three doubled after 1986. The risk
to die from such bleedings during or after the delivery is seven (7) times
higher in radioactive polluted places like Novozybkov than in the rest of
Russia.
Monica Antonsson found this report and went to see
professor Michel Fernex and his wife Solange Fernex, a former EU-parlamentarian
for the Green party, in Biedertal, France, for an interview. In their house she
met Dr Galina Bandazhevskaya from Minsk, the filmmaker, Wladimir Tchertkoff
(who made several TV-films in Chernobyl), Professor Vasily Nesterenko and his
wife from Minsk, Belarus. Their purpose in France were that they had been to
the EU-parliament as witnesses. All of them – except Wladimir Tchertkoff – are
mentioned in Michel Fernex´s report.
Professor Michel Fernex
Solange and Michel Fernex, Galina Bandazhevskaya, Wladimir Chertkoff, Vasily Nesterenko with wife.
Michel and Solange Fernex
