26th April. 1986 Reactor No.4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear power station in the Ukraine exploded, causing 70% of the radioactive contamination  (90 times worse than Hiroshima or Nagasaki) to fall on the neighbouring country of Belarus, contaminating nearly a quarter of its land area and affecting almost a quarter of its population, including 400,000 children.
     In the years following the radioactive contamination from the disaster, young children began to contract cancer of the thyroid gland.  This type of cancer is very aggressive and soon spreads to other parts of the body if not dealt with.  The operation to remove the thyroid is relatively straightforward but complete removal requires the patient to take drugs for a considerable time afterwards but sufficent quantities of the drugs are not always available.
     Young children in puberty were considered most at risk.  Their bodies are growing quickly at that age and as a result absorb radioactivity more quickly. 
     It was considered by medical authorities that to remove children in puberty away from the constant low level radiation in which they live, for periods up to four weeks, would help to reduce the amount of radiation in their bodies and strengthen their immune systems so that they would be more able to withstand infection and disease, especially during the harsh winter months.

Medicine & Chernobyl began its operations in 1991 in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus after it broke away from the USSR following the break-up of the U.S.S.R.
It began life as the Byelorussian Medical Society for Charity Initiative, 122-131 Katzinta Str, Minsk, Belarus.  220064 BSSR.  Its founding President is Doctor Igor Kot