Word from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children they are expecting to receive several paediatric cancer patients from Ukraine within the next few days.

A statement from SickKids Monday evening says they are expecting to receive fewer than five paediatric patients with cancer from Ukraine within the next 36 to 48 hours.

“We are unable to provide the specific number of patients or further details at this time to respect the privacy of these children and their families,” the statement reads.

The SickKids statement says they have been working with government and community partners for several days to prepare for such a possibility.

“Toronto has a strong and compassionate Ukrainian community and SickKids has long-standing partnerships with Ukrainian children’s hospitals that enable us to support urgent children’s health-care needs in Ukraine,” the hospital’s statement goes on to say.

“All children deserve access to specialized health care, regardless of their place of origin or geographic location. While the priority at SickKids is meeting the needs of children in Ontario and Canada, we acknowledge that there is a moral responsibility to provide care to vulnerable children from abroad when we have capacity, consistent with our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.”

The transfer comes as millions of Ukrainians flee for safety following a deadly invasion of their country by Russian forces.