In 2022, the plant provided 14 hospitals in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions with vital oxygen free of charge.
Since the beginning of a full-scale war in Ukraine, the volumes of oxygen supplies and geographic spread have significantly decreased because of hostilities. On average, the volume of oxygen shipment amounted to 70 tonnes per month. The largest consumers of Zaporizhstal oxygen in 2022 were the municipal hospitals and regional infectious diseases hospital in Zaporizhzhia.
“At the medical front, the doctors save the lives of thousands of civilians and military of Ukraine. Metinvest and Zaporizhstal JV provide them with maximum support in these extremely difficult times. At the request of the doctors, we assist in supplying consumables, medicines, medical equipment and medical oxygen to Ukrainian hospitals absolutely free of charge. Regular support from our side will continue in 2023,” said Acting General Director of Zaporizhstal JV of Metinvest Group, Roman Slobodianiuk.
Medical oxygen is used in case of severe respiratory diseases, heart failure, poisoning, as well as for surgical anaesthesia. In particular, oxygen therapy is used to treat the acute respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the SARSr-CoV coronavirus. During treatment, one tonne of oxygen covers the needs of about a hundred patients.
It is worth reminding that in 2021, the plant received a registration certificate from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for the production of liquid oxygen to be used as medication. Since that moment, the plant has been supplying oxygen to medical institutions of Ukraine free of charge. Zaporizhstal JV shipped oxygen free of charge to more than 100 hospitals in 17 regions of Ukraine. Since the start of supplies, the volume of delivered oxygen amounted to more than 5,700 tonnes.
It should be noted that in 2021, Zaporizhstal JV and Metinvest with the support of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation financed the construction of a modern oxygen station for the regional infectious diseases hospital in Zaporizhzhia, and completed a major overhaul of the hospital department previously damaged by fire. In 2022, Zaporizhstal JV of Metinvest Group together with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation handed over backup power systems to two Zaporizhzhia hospitals. In addition, the plant regularly helps the hospitals of the city to fortify the buildings and important equipment against shelling and deliversmedicines for emergency medical care to people injured as a result of hostilities.