Themes by tag: doctors

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleh Bykov and his brother ran a legal firm as advisors. But their lives shifted after February 2022—Oleh paused his legal career to dedicate himself to volunteer efforts, while his brother joined Ukraine’s National Guard.

Oleh went on to establish the Kremenchuk Volunteer Defense Headquarters, delivering humanitarian aid to front-line regions. During one visit to a stabilization center for injured soldiers, he witnessed the challenges medics faced in removing shrapnel from wounds. Determined to help, Oleh collaborated with a technologist to develop magnetic extractors, innovative devices designed to remove shrapnel from hard-to-reach areas.

His team has since produced five types of extractors, each tailored to different parts of the body. Among their most advanced designs is the Hydra—a flexible tool for extracting shrapnel and bullets from the heart, currently undergoing testing at the Heart Institute and the Shalimov National Research Center for Surgery and Transplantation. Oleh provides these devices to civilian and military doctors free of charge, using their feedback to refine the designs further.

To arrange an interview with Oleh Bykov, you can meet him in Kremenchuk or Kyiv, either online or in person, by appointment.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Poltava

On December 11, Media Center Ukraine will host a press brunch entitled “Healthcare in 2024 highlights: Key failures and achievements”.

Participants:

– Olha Stefanyshyna, MP and member of the Committee on Public Health;

– Inna Ivanenko, Chief Executive Officer, Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”;

– Anastasia Boichuk, Strategic Lead, War Trauma Rehabilitation Project, Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”;

– Oleksii Golovin, Chair, Public Control Council at the National Health Service of Ukraine, and Chief Legal Advisor, Charitable Foundation “Healthy Solutions”.

Topics of focus:

– Challenges in reforming medical and social expert commissions;

– Delays in the procurement of innovative medicines;

– Patient treatment needs and funding gaps in the 2025 State Budget;

– Timeline for the availability of cannabis-based medicines in pharmacies;

– Anticipated healthcare reforms in 2025. 

Registration is required to attend the event.

• doctors
• Kyiv

Highlighting the importance of creating a truly inclusive environment for people who have lost limbs due to landmine and explosive injuries, FRIDA Ukraine had the opportunity to meet Nataliia and help her get back on both feet.

Nataliia is a nurse from the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast. A russian shell hit her house and she lost a limb. In telling her story, she emphasized that in spite of everything, she continues to live life to the fullest and does not want to be pitied. After Nataliia became the face of the FRIDA Ukraine project, their German partners heard about her. A few months of logistical arrangements followed, and Nataliia returned with a prosthesis and an incredible determination to help others.

Her home clinic from Bakhmut has been relocated to Brovary in the Kyiv oblast, where Nataliia continues her lifelong mission.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. It has been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities since the beginning of the invasion.

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

On November 29, in Kyiv, the Ukrainian-Israeli volunteer medical mission “FRIDA Ukraine” will hold a blood drive to address various medical needs.

In order to meet the demand for blood, there should be 40 donors per 1,000 people. Currently, this number is less than 20 in Ukraine. The lack of donor blood results in postponed surgeries, deaths of accident victims, and the inability of cancer patients to undergo treatment. By donating blood, donors give these people a chance to live.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit, charitable mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the beginning of the invasion, the mission has been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

In the nearly 1,000 days since russia launched its all-out invasion, 1,941 medical facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, according to official reports. This includes 1,714 facilities that sustained damage and 227 that were completely demolished. Hospitals in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions have borne the brunt of the destruction.  

Obtaining a complete assessment of damage in territories still under russian occupation remains impossible. However, the toll on healthcare extends beyond facilities. Since the start of the war, russia has damaged 235 ambulances, destroyed 263, and seized 125.  

Despite the challenges, the Ukrainian government has made the restoration of medical infrastructure a priority. The Ministry of Healthcare, in collaboration with its partners, has overseen the repair and reconstruction of 904 facilities. These include hospitals and clinics in de-occupied areas, as well as those that sustained minor damage, such as broken windows or damaged roofs.  

The largest recovery efforts have taken place in Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions, ensuring that access to quality healthcare remains available for Ukrainians even amidst the ongoing invasion.  

• doctors
• reconstruction
• russian crimes

Dr. Clemens Schiestl, a renowned plastic surgeon from the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, is scheduled to arrive in Lviv on November 8. He will participate in Ukraine’s inaugural international burn conference, which will unite leading experts in burn care from around the world.

Before the conference, Dr. Schiestl will visit the burn unit at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, part of the First Medical Union of Lviv, to meet the children whose lives he has helped save. Over the past year, several young patients with severe burns from Lviv have been sent to Zurich for treatment. Among them are 7-year-old Maksym, who suffered burns in a fire while studying by candlelight during a blackout, and 15-year-old Maksym, who endured 40% burns from an electric shock. Both will meet with Dr. Schiestl for follow-up care during his visit.

Dr. Schiestl will also assess current patients in the Lviv burn unit. The conference, taking place on November 8-9, will make Lviv the focal point of international burn medicine. Experts will gather to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest advancements in burn treatment, a critical area of care in wartime when blast and mine injuries frequently cause burns.

The event is open to those with proper accreditation.

For further details: The Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, as part of the Burn Care Alliance project, organizes the event with support from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the First Medical Union of Lviv.

• casualties
• children
• doctors
• Lviv

On November 2-3, in partnership with the UNDP, Frida Ukraine will dispatch a team of medical volunteers to a community in the Kharkiv region, delivering crucial medical assistance. This mission will also include a dedicated dental team, supported by the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, aimed at providing specialized care for residents.

Frida Ukraine plans to offer regular medical consultations, alongside dental services facilitated through the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, with Vladislava Romaniuk leading the medical team. 

Details about the mission’s location will be shared following accreditation.

For reference: This mission is part of the UNDP’s “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System” project, designed to assist communities impacted by explosive hazards. The project includes mobile hospitals providing healthcare and psychological aid, aiming to reach 15,000-20,000 residents by year’s end.

Frida Ukraine, a non-profit organization of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel, has been offering emergency and outpatient care to civilians affected by the conflict since the invasion’s onset.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

On October 25, celebrated British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, a pioneer of neurosurgical care in Ukraine and best-selling author, will meet with Lviv doctors to deliver a lecture on the importance of teamwork in medicine. Marsh refers to the lecture as “Team Work.”

The event is open to accredited attendees only.

For reference: Marsh is a renowned British neurosurgeon with extensive experience performing thousands of brain and spinal cord surgeries across the UK and internationally. He was educated at Westminster School and later at Oxford University, where he studied political science, philosophy, and economics. He earned his medical degree with honors from the Royal Medical School. Throughout his career, he worked at Atkinson Morley Hospital, home to one of the most advanced neurosurgical units in the UK. In 2014, he authored Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery, a memoir that, despite being aimed at medical professionals, became a global bestseller.

Marsh first visited Ukraine in the 1990s to share his expertise with local neurosurgeons, earning him the title of a pioneer in advancing Ukraine’s neurosurgical field. Since then, he has made around 30 visits to the country, often consulting and operating on critically ill patients, including those at the First Medical Union of Lviv. 

• doctors
• Lviv

On October 26-27, the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission FRIDA will be in the Kherson region, offering local residents the chance to receive medical consultations and undergo necessary examinations. The volunteer medical team will include specialists such as a neurologist, ultrasound technician, gynecologist, dermatologist, psychologist, ophthalmologist, physical therapist, pediatrician, ENT doctor, vascular surgeon, dentist, and endocrinologist.

This visit is part of the project “Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Support with Improved Referral System for the Population of Explosive Hazard-Affected Communities in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson Oblasts.” The initiative, led by FRIDA Ukraine, is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the “Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine” project, with financial backing from the Government of Japan.

Details about the visit’s location will be provided following accreditation.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit charitable mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. Since the onset of the invasion, the organization has been offering emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the conflict. 

Their services include 

• outpatient appointments;
• medical care for orphanages and boarding schools;
• civilian evacuations;
• training of medical volunteers.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers

Nataliia Holubieva, a medical doctor by profession, co-founded and leads the Kherson Oblast Medicine charity foundation, which provides humanitarian aid to hospitals and patients. During the russian occupation of Kherson, she remained in the city, continuing her volunteer work, including sourcing scarce medicines from the Ukrainian-controlled areas.

Following the liberation of part of the region, Holubieva turned her focus to helping residents affected by the occupiers’ destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. She coordinated efforts to resettle those displaced, ensuring they received clothing, food, and medical supplies.

Holubieva stayed in Kherson until August 2023, when intensifying russian shelling with guided bombs forced her to leave for Kropyvnytskyi with her child. On the anniversary of Kherson’s liberation, she established the “United by Kherson Region” Humanitarian Aid Center, which now supports over 1,500 people (560 families) displaced from the Kherson region. The Center also aids residents from other hard-hit areas, including Melitopol, Crimea, and Kharkiv, and assists medical and educational institutions by providing medicine and hygiene products.

Holubieva dreams of opening a medical center specifically for displaced persons, where she can offer both psychological and humanitarian assistance. She is currently searching for a location while pursuing a degree in psychology to further help those in need.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Nataliia in Kropyvnytskyi or online by appointment.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces in March 2022, shortly after the invasion began. Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying russian forces on November 11, 2022, though russian shelling continues.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kherson