Since the invasion began in February, he has been in contact with medical frontliners like his friend, Dr Sergyi Kryzhanovskyi, who has been manning several field hospitals and coordinating medical supplies into Ukraine.
“It feels surreal and hard to process, when you hear from your friend that he’s just finished a shift on the battlegrounds,” said Mugunthan, who received his medical training in Ukraine.
He knew he had to do something, even though he was more than 8,000km away in Malaysia.
Mugunthan, who is also the adviser to the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Malaysia (UCA), launched an initiative to enable the public to make donations towards sending medical equipment to Ukraine with the help of DrEzy Sdn Bhd, an online marketplace.
“Based on intel from Kryzhanovskyi, the supply of tourniquets in Ukraine is severely lacking. It is an important medical device placed around an arm or leg to stop bleeding and can be life-saving, as it buys time before medical help arrives,” he said.
Mugunthan said that each soldier carries one in their combat kit to administer first aid to himself, a comrade, or even a civilian who has been injured in war.
Unlike other donation drives, he said, there is no need for cash to be collected to make the relevant purchase from the vendor. Using DrEzy’s marketplace, anyone can buy a single unit of tourniquet for RM42.20 and have it shipped directly to Ukraine.
“There is a need for 100,000 tourniquets to be deployed immediately, so we hope to reach as many donors as possible to help save lives,” Mugunthan told FMT.
His wife, Lidiya Murugan, who is the president of UCA, told FMT that since the war broke out between the two nations, Malaysians have been generous and helpful.
“I am grateful that many Malaysians have reached out to me to offer help. With this initiative, we hope to give them the opportunity to make a difference,” she said.
Lidiya, who still has family in Lviv, Ukraine, spoke of the atrocities that her homeland has faced.
“This war is not a war of the people, it’s a war of politics. Ukraine is paying with the blood of innocent people, especially mothers and children,” she said.
She said that while some of her family members have sought refuge in Poland, the rest stayed behind in Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
Those who wish to donate towards the purchase of a tourniquet may do so here.