Family members of the 21 Ukrainian children with cancer, who were flown to the United Kingdom for treatment amid much fanfare from the U.K. government, fear they may never see their seriously ill relatives again because of delays in processing their U.K. visas.
Some of the children airlifted to the U.K. on March 13 are receiving end-of-life care. The prognosis for the other Ukrainian patients, however, are encouraging. Eighteen out of the 21 families in the U.K. right now consist of a mother and a child. Many of them are being accommodated in hotels, which they do not get to live in most of the time as they spend long periods in the children's hospital where their kids are getting medical care.
The Guardian reported that the charity group Refugee Action, which is supporting some of the Ukrainian children and their families, has condemned the U.K. government's treatment of them. According to the charity workers, these Ukrainian families should be granted automatic refugee resettlement in Great Britain, which will provide them with permanent accommodation and support.
Refugee Action demands automatic family reunion rights for Ukrainian children in the U.K.
The Ukrainian families in question do not have automatic family reunion rights at present. That has been a major problem for them as they left immediate family members behind in war-torn Ukraine, including siblings of their sick kids. For Ukrainian families to secure the right to stay in the U.K. for three years and bring over other relatives, they are expected to fill out two application forms.
According to the BBC, the 21 Ukrainian children are currently being cared for in six NHS hospitals in England that specialize in treating pediatric cancers. They were airlifted to the U.K. weeks ago in a joint operation between the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the Prime Minister's office.
The British government had responded to a call from their counterparts in Poland to help look after some of the Ukrainian children with cancer cared for by Polish health professionals. The U.K. decided to partner with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, a non-profit American organization specializing in pediatric diseases, to bring the sick children over.
U.K. Government should offer more support to Ukrainian families
Yahoo! reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement when the scheme was announced, saying that the sickening suffering of innocent civilians in Ukraine is truly horrific and that this vital lifesaving medical care is another important step in their support for the people of Ukraine and their resistance against Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion.
Lou Calvey, the head of services and safeguarding at Refugee Action, is calling for the U.K. government to do more for these Ukrainian families, saying that it is shameful that they are spending more time issuing press releases trumpeting the arrival of the sick Ukrainian children instead of finding ways to support them to be together with their relatives in their darkest hours.
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