Working Together to Support Patient Care in Ukraine

At Baxter, we proactively build product donations into our corporate responsibility strategy, as part of our commitment to champion the communities where we live and work. Donated medical products have helped families globally with limited healthcare resources, as well as those impacted by earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Our donated products equip doctors and health centers with the resources they need to care for patients. The critical nature of our medical products means they are in high demand when disaster strikes.

Most recently, members of our global team have been coordinating with our trusted humanitarian aid partners – Direct Relief and Americares – to provide critical products to Ukraine and surrounding countries in response to the tragic outbreak of war. One of these dedicated employees is Ganna, sales and commercial lead from Baxter Ukraine, who has helped manage and coordinate among the many groups involved.

"Since the early days of the outbreak of the war, we have been actively assessing the needs of patients in Ukraine and how Baxter could help," said Ganna. "Like forming a puzzle, Baxter employees from multiple areas quickly came together – from different countries and continents – representing logistics, compliance, quality, medical, and more so we could work through challenges and get the products where they are needed in close collaboration with our humanitarian aid partners."

More than $6 million of Baxter product from more than 10 countries globally have been sent to the region since March to help meet critical healthcare needs. Included in the donations are more than 100 different types of Baxter's products in nephrology, anesthesia, surgical, and IV fluids, and more.

Victoria, senior logistics specialist from Baxter Ukraine, has also been heavily involved in coordinating between Baxter and Direct Relief teams to help organize product shipments. 

"For me, these product donations have a special meaning because this helps Ukrainian patients," said Victoria. “To deploy the donated product, colleagues across many departments joined together to navigate fast-changing routes, legislation, and more, and our collective efforts showed me the power in fruitful cooperation when people come together to help." 

In addition to responding to special donation requests, we routinely pre-position product donations with our partners so they are ready to act quickly during times of crisis and in response to ongoing needs. We aim to manufacture products twice a year specifically for donation. This manufacture-to-donate strategy, an industry best practice, means partners can rely on having Baxter's products available year-round to help provide sustained support for underserved communities around the world. 

"Being part of this team deploying product donations has been very important to me personally in helping Ukrainian patients who find themselves in challenging conditions and is my, albeit small, contribution,” said Ganna. "Right now, I feel Baxter's mission as a company to save and sustain lives is most fully revealed."

Photo on left: Victoria, senior logistics specialist from Baxter Ukraine, stands in front of a shipment of Baxter product she helped to procure for people in Ukraine.

Photo on right: Donated Baxter product is unloaded by a team in Ukraine. Photo credit: Kharkiv City Council.