THE priceless gift of medical knowledge is being passed on from Dorset County Hospital to a hospital in the Cherkassy region of the Ukraine.

Many children in the Ukraine are suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear fallout and to aid in the aftermath, which is still having an effect even after so many years of the disaster, a link was formed some time ago between the Kingfisher Ward at DCH and the children’s Oncology ward in the Cherkassy region of the Ukraine.

The staff of Kingfisher do regular fundraising and the proceeds are not sent in cash to the Ukraine but are used to enable two doctors and a physiotherapist from DCH to visit Cherkassy where they pass on the latest treatments used in Britain to treat children.

The team takes a computer to aid in teaching the Cherkassy doctors and this is left behind as a continuous aid to what our team have passed on verbally and practically.

Mrs Terry Shakespeare, pictured, who has recently retired from her post as a nursing assistant at DCH but still keeps in close contact with the Kingfisher link said: “Our team always find that their meetings in the Cherkassy hospital are oversubscribed as the doctors there are extremely keen to learn the methods used here in the West.”

To add to the money needed to take our team on their life saving mission, Mrs Shakespeare has compiled a quiz of questions all relating to Christmas and these quiz sheets, costing £1, are available from Kingfisher Ward, the Hospital League of Friends or by phoning Terry on 01305 820888.