Themes by tag: doctors

Before the full-scale invasion, Svitlana worked as an intensive care nurse at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro. In the early days of the war, she joined the Ukrainian military as a combat medic.

In May 2024, her unit was stationed at a stronghold in Donetsk oblast when russian forces surrounded their position. While her comrades held the line, Svitlana grabbed a grenade launcher and maneuvered toward the enemy. She flanked the building where the russians were stationed and fired, eliminating the entire hostile group in one strike.

Her actions allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct a rotation and evacuate personnel from the besieged positions. For her bravery, Svitlana was awarded the Cross of the Land Forces.

Journalists can interview Svitlana online or in person in Zaporizhia, by prior coordination with her press officer.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Journalists are invited to attend the presentation of a new initiative focused on providing essential healthcare services to women veterans, a group often overlooked in military medical infrastructure. The event will take place on June 13 in Poltava.

Launched by the VETERANKA Movement in partnership with the Kvitna Charitable Foundation, the project addresses a critical gap: the absence of specialists such as gynecologists and mammologists within military units. As part of the initiative, women veterans will receive free comprehensive medical screenings, including ultrasound and gynecological exams, along with consultations from qualified doctors.

The event will feature remarks from organizers, medical staff from the mobile health unit, and Poltava’s acting mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova, herself a veteran. Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with project participants and hear firsthand accounts from the women involved.

Originally launched in the Kyiv region, the initiative has already served more than 1,000 women defenders across Ukraine.

Event registration is required to attend.

• doctors
• women
• Poltava

Andrii Novosad is a physical therapist by profession, though he had never worked in the field. When the full-scale invasion began, he started volunteering by making Molotov cocktails and weaving camouflage nets for the military.

One day, a friend who worked at a rehabilitation center called Andrii to tell him about the shortage of specialists working with severely wounded soldiers. Without hesitation, Andrii began working as a physical therapist. While working, he saw a soldier who had lost both hands being fed by his wife. This inspired Andrii to start thinking about adaptive devices that could help the wounded eat independently.

He discussed the problem with his parents, who are engineers and manufacture rehabilitation equipment. Together, they developed a prototype of adaptive tableware and gave it to soldiers for testing. The design includes two types of special cuffs — one with a fork and one with a spoon. Soldiers can put on and take off these utensils without assistance.

Currently, Andrii and his family provide them free of charge to those with double amputations or anyone in need.

You can contact Andrii Novosad online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Lviv

This May and June, the Hospitallers medical battalion will conduct a series of tactical medicine courses for volunteer medics and civilians. The program features the NAEMT’s Tactical Combat Casualty Care – Combat Lifesaver (TCCC-CLS) course, along with trauma first aid, bleeding control, and simulation-based training. Courses will be held in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and throughout the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Journalists may attend and cover the sessions with prior approval.

For reference: Active on the front lines since 2014, the Hospitallers medical battalion carries out dozens of evacuations each day across nearly the entire combat zone. The team has been training others in tactical medicine since 2015 and in first aid since 2018. Instructors are certified by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy (UVMA), and other recognized institutions.

• doctors
• Dnipro
• Kyiv
• Lviv

On May 17–18, the FRIDA Ukraine medical mission will travel to one of the communities in the Sumy region, where the team is scheduled to work in two villages.

The mission includes more than 20 specialists, among them a nephrologist, dermatologist, ultrasound specialist, gynecologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, vascular surgeon, neurologist, and psychologists.

Local residents will have access to consultations with these specialists, undergo medical examinations, receive professional recommendations, and obtain essential medications.

FRIDA Ukraine previously visited this community in February. The upcoming mission offers a chance to follow up on treatments, adjust prescribed medications if needed, and examine new patients.

Journalists are welcome to join the mission and cover the visit by prior arrangement.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a volunteer medical mission uniting doctors from both Ukraine and abroad. The team travels to frontline and war-affected regions, setting up mobile outpatient clinics and providing free medical care to civilians. FRIDA Ukraine also supports children, including orphans; helps evacuate critically ill patients; and offers mental health services.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Sumy

Daniel, 35, arrived in Ukraine from Sweden and now serves with the Hospitallers medical volunteer battalion.

A seasoned traveler who has visited 50 countries, Daniel studied nursing at Malmö University and later worked as a private nurse in Sweden.

He first came to Ukraine in 2010 and returned in 2013, inspired by the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and a desire to visit Chornobyl.

Last year marked his third visit to the country, this time to join the Hospitallers Medical Battalion. Daniel is currently learning Ukrainian and plans to enroll in an online Ukrainian language course this summer through Lund University in Sweden. He also has a girlfriend in Ukraine.

Now serving on the front line, Daniel is available for interviews, either in person or online, by prior arrangement and with the approval of the battalion’s press officer.

• doctors
• military

Danger, a white Toy Poodle from Israel, is more than just a companion, he’s a vital part of the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission, supporting efforts to save lives across the war-torn regions of Ukraine. Since the outset of the all-out invasion, Danger has joined volunteer teams on the ground, traveling extensively from Bakhmut to the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. and has even come under fire multiple times. Outfitted in a branded hoodie bearing the word “Volunteer,” he also has an Instagram account that offers a glimpse into his work on field missions.

His owner, Mark Neviazhskyi, a volunteer from Israel and later a co-founder of FRIDA Ukraine, named the dog during his energetic puppyhood. To keep him out of harm’s way, Mark would often say, “No, it’s dangerous,” – a phrase that eventually inspired the name “Danger.”

Now serving as a true emotional support animal, Danger plays a key role in helping patients open up and easing anxiety among those affected by the war. He is especially impactful during visits to orphanages, where his presence brings comfort and joy.

Journalists can meet Danger in Kyiv or accompany him during scheduled field missions, with prior arrangements. Interviews with his owner, Mark Neviazhskyi, are also available, along with access to photos and videos documenting Danger’s involvement in humanitarian efforts.

For reference: The organization is a volunteer medical mission composed of doctors from both Ukraine and abroad. The team operates in frontline and heavily affected areas, setting up mobile outpatient clinics to provide free medical care to civilians. Their services include pediatric care, particularly for orphans, the evacuation of critically ill patients, and mental health support.

• animals
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

“I want my face to look like it did before the war” – these are the words of 43-year-old Oksana Serhiienko, a patient at the UNBROKEN Center, who was wounded while evacuating her children from the occupied part of Kyiv region during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion.

russian troops shot Oksana in the face. The bullet shattered her jaw. She has since undergone multiple surgeries, including a procedure to reconstruct part of her lower jaw using a titanium plate. Though the operations saved her life, they left visible scars that she is now determined to erase.

Oksana is receiving treatment at the Aesthetic Medicine Center of the First Medical Union of Lviv, where doctors have already completed the first stage of laser resurfacing. She will require at least two more sessions to achieve the desired results.

For reference: Oksana Serhiienko’s care is part of a collaborative project between the UNBROKEN Center and L’Oréal Ukraine called “No Time for Beauty.” The initiative aims to help Ukrainian women heal by removing the physical marks of war from their faces and bodies.

The UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center operates under the First Medical Union of Lviv.

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• women

On May 5, media representatives are invited to meet a 16-year-old patient of the Transplantation Center at the First Medical Union of Lviv, who successfully underwent a kidney transplant from a posthumous donor on Easter.

Solomiia, 16, was born with a congenital spinal anomaly and uses a wheelchair. In 2022, she contracted COVID-19, which led to severe complications and resulted in stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Since then, she has relied on dialysis and spent nearly a year hospitalized.

Shortly before Easter, a matching organ became available from a deceased donor. The transplant was successful, and Solomiia was discharged just a week later.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

During the meeting, journalists will also have the opportunity to speak with the transplant team from the First Medical Union of Lviv.

• doctors
• Lviv

FRIDA Ukraine is launching retreat programs for medical workers from Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts as part of a project aimed at restoring mental health. The project is implemented with the support of the “Capable and Strong” program  (Eastern Europe Foundation and the Government of Switzerland).

On April 20-25, the retreat will take place in the Chernivtsi oblast. Participants will include 20 medical workers from Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts and 4 psychologists.

The retreat offers an opportunity to immerse in silence and engage in restorative practices after years of working under chronic stress, shelling, and overwhelming pressure. The program includes body-oriented practices, meditation, art therapy, and lectures on burnout prevention and recovery from secondary traumatization.

Journalists will have the opportunity to interact with the participants, facilitators and psychologists, take photos/videos onsite, or obtain comments remotely. Accreditation is required for the event.

Background: According to the Ministry of Health, over 75% of medical professionals in Ukraine experience symptoms of professional burnout. The full-scale war has only added to the challenges: during the invasion, 1,982 health facilities were damaged and 301 were destroyed. Specialists from the Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts are particularly vulnerable as they work at the limits of their capacity: under shelling, with a lack of resources and a heavy patient load.

FRIDA Ukraine is a medical volunteer mission that unites over 1,500 doctors from Ukraine and around the world. Volunteers work in frontline regions, setting up mobile clinics, conducting free screenings, and providing medical assistance to civilians.

• doctors
• psychological support
• Chernivtsi