The American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), Worldwide Network for Blood Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) and the Asian-Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation (APBMT) firmly condemn the war started by Russian military forces in Ukraine. In particular, ASTCT, EBMT, WBMT and APBMT request that peace negotiations prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable Ukrainian people. Casualties among innocent civilians increase by the minute, including children. Patients with severe conditions, such as those with cancer or undergoing life-saving transplants, are currently affected by lack of medications and medical supplies, limited ability to travel to hospitals, lack of adequate nutrition. Healthcare providers and hospital staff in Kyiv remain in their hospitals to treat the patients in shelters, while bombs continue to hit the city.
ASTCT, EBMT, WBMT and APBMT join the international community and request that:
a) safe corridors can be established for patients and providers to travel
to the hospital;
b) international organizations can be allowed to ship medical supplies;
c) patients whose care cannot be completed in Ukraine at this time may be allowed to travel to foreign countries offering to host them.
ASTCT, EBMT, WBMT and APBMT express solidarity with all the Ukrainian healthcare providers, friends and supporters worldwide, and hope all the states currently engaged in wars will agree on the value of dialogue and peace that should not have borders.