Themes by tag: doctors

From November 30 to December 3, the fourth international “Vision for Ukraine” oculoplastic mission will take place in Kyiv. A team of medical professionals will work to reconstruct the faces of defenders who have sustained severe trauma and lost an eye.

The international surgeons are preparing a series of advanced reconstructive procedures, including restoring the orbit and soft tissues, microvascular skin flap transplantation, and installing custom titanium implants created with a 3D printer. According to the mission organizers, one such implant can cost approximately $10,000, but the defenders will receive them free of charge.

The mission’s schedule includes consultations on November 30 and operating days from December 1 to 3, with approximately 30 surgeries and over 40 consultations planned. From December 4 to 5, the team will continue working in Lviv, providing care to children affected by the war.

Background: Over the past two years, “Vision for Ukraine” medics have provided assistance to more than 130 patients.

Interviews with medics and patients will be available online and in person in Kyiv and Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• Kyiv
• Lviv

The FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission will deploy to the Mykolaiv oblast from November 22 to 23 and to the Kherson oblast from November 29 to 30.

Journalists will have the opportunity to cover the work of the medical volunteers on the ground and interview patients and doctors by prior arrangement.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer missions involve regular trips by a team of doctors to frontline and remote communities in Ukraine. Each mission comprises over 20 specialists in various fields, including neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, and dermatologists. During these deployments, the team provides free medical appointments, consultations, and tests for local residents. Recently, the team has also begun conducting cancer screenings — early diagnostics for oncological diseases — to help detect illnesses at their initial stages.

• doctors

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Maryna Sadykova worked in event management. But after February 24, 2022, her focus shifted entirely — she and her team began volunteering to support Ukrainian troops. The intense pace of that work soon took a toll. Struggling with burnout and anxiety, Sadykova sought peace in the Carpathian Mountains. That personal recovery experience inspired her to launch a mental health initiative for others facing the same strain.

Her organization, the Repower Charity Fund, now runs a psychological support program specifically for military medics and doctors who serve on the front lines. Based in Kyiv, the program offers a 10-day retreat in Sweden designed to help participants restore their emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Since 2022, Repower has organized 17 recovery programs, 16 abroad and one pilot retreat in Ukraine, reaching 1,244 combat medics who have since returned to duty. The foundation continues to expand its retreats and provide ongoing support for those who save lives under fire.

Media representatives and visitors can arrange to meet with Maryna Sadykova, her team, and program participants both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.

• doctors
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

A project by Lviv-based reproductive specialist and four-time Fertility Award winner Liubov Mykhailyshyn, “Preserve Your DNA for the Future,” offers free egg cryopreservation to 20 women in the military who risk their lives every day. The program is open to women between the ages of 21 and 41.

More than 80 women submitted their applications. The program will run until the end of 2025.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Liubov Mykhailyshyn in Lviv or online, and, if possible, with program participants.

Background: The “Preserve Your DNA for the Future” project is funded by a grant from L’Oréal Paris and UNFPA Ukraine (the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine).

Similar programs have been successfully implemented in the United States (Fertility Preservation Program) and Israel. According to American researchers, service members experience a significant decline in reproductive potential compared to control groups, even without physical injury. Chronic stress is a major contributing factor.

While sperm cryopreservation is a relatively quick and simple process for military personnel, egg freezing is more complex and requires an initial consultation with a reproductive specialist; controlled ovarian stimulation with specific medications; egg retrieval from the ovaries; cryopreservation and long-term storage of the oocytes.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Lviv

On November 15 to 16, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission will travel to Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts (oncology screening).

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to document the work of the medical volunteers and conduct interviews with patients and doctors.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions are regular outreach trips by a team of doctors to frontline and remote communities in Ukraine. Each mission includes over 20 specialists in various fields, such as neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, and dermatologists.

During these missions, the team provides free medical appointments, consultations, and tests for local residents. Recently, the team has also begun conducting oncology screenings to help detect illnesses at their initial stages.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Chernihiv
• Sumy

Viktoriia Kramarenko worked at a burn center in Kyiv from 2008. When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, she began volunteering, traveling to the east to help save and evacuate wounded soldiers from the front lines.

Starting in 2015, Viktoriia officially served as a medic with military units, deploying on rotations to the front lines. In 2018, she founded the Wings of Victory charitable foundation.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Viktoriia began teaching tactical medicine to new recruits immediately. Once she acquired an ambulance, she began evacuating the wounded from Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel. Subsequently, she worked near Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, assisting Ukrainian fighters in hospitals.

Through her foundation, Viktoriia launched a rehabilitation and recovery program for military personnel, purchasing sports equipment and setting up a swimming pool. They even bought a horse for hippotherapy. Viktoriia is currently applying for grants to secure financial aid and continue her work with service members.

Viktoriia Kramarenko is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

From October 27 to 31, the sixth “Face the Future Ukraine” medical mission will take place in Ivano-Frankivsk. This international initiative brought together surgeons from Canada, the United States, and Ukraine to perform reconstructive surgeries on 30 wounded military personnel and civilians.

A team of 15 foreign medical professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses, has arrived in Ukraine. They are operating in collaboration with Ukrainian doctors. The mission’s patients have severe mine-blast injuries to the face and neck sustained as a result of the war, including damage to the eye orbit, severe nasal injuries, and missing jaw fragments.

During the previous five missions, medical teams have operated on 245 Ukrainians.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with the team of doctors and patients in person in Ivano-Frankivsk.

• casualties
• doctors
• Ivano-Frankivsk

A mobile medical clinic will be set up in Kyiv on October 19 to provide free breast and gynecological screenings for women. The one-day event is organized by FRIDA Ukraine, a medical volunteer mission, together with the DILA diagnostic laboratory.

Inside the specially equipped mobile unit, women can receive breast and pelvic ultrasounds, Pap tests using liquid-based cytology, and meet with breast and women’s health specialists. All exams will be performed by experienced FRIDA volunteer doctors.

The health-care drive comes ahead of October 20, Ukraine’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The entire month of October is traditionally devoted to promoting early detection and preventive care. Organizers say the goal is to remind women to schedule regular screenings and take a proactive approach to their health.

Throughout the day, FRIDA volunteers will also hand out information on breast cancer prevention and women’s health. 

Media accreditation is required to cover the event.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a volunteer mission that brings together more than 1,100 doctors from multiple countries. Its teams work in frontline and recently liberated areas, running field clinics that deliver free medical care to civilians affected by the war and occupation.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

A team of Romanian veterinarians, led by Dr. Ioan Răzvan Șuteu from Cluj-Napoca, launched the “RoUa” campaign (its name combining Romania and Ukraine) to provide free veterinary care to injured, abandoned, and neglected animals throughout Ukraine. The initiative grew from Dr. Șuteu’s long-standing work with stray and underserved animals and his experience coordinating a mobile medical network for rural communities.

The core team includes two surgeons (Dr. Șuteu and Dr. Emma Stratulat), an anesthesia specialist from Slovenia, a PR photographer, and student volunteers.

The campaign provides on-site surgeries, sterilizations, and basic medical care; local partnerships (STEP in Brody, Inițiativa Cremeneț) ensure long-term follow-up for animals requiring extended care. The team uses translators and Google Translate to manage language barriers and leaves written treatment instructions for owners and local caregivers.

The team is currently working in Ukraine’s Ternopil region. Interviews with the veterinarians can be arranged in person through October 17 or conducted online by prior request.

• animals
• doctors
• volunteers
• Ternopil

From October 5-10, FRIDA Ukraine is holding its second retreat for medical professionals from the Kharkiv and Sumy regions along the border with russia, as part of a mental health recovery initiative. The program is supported by the Capable and Strong program, a collaboration between the Eastern Europe Foundation and the Swiss Government, and is taking place in the Chernivtsi region.

Twenty health professionals, including doctors and nurses, several from Izium, are participating in the wellness retreat. They all serve in frontline areas, facing constant stress and high-pressure conditions.

Journalists are invited to attend one day of the recovery program to observe activities and speak with participants.

• doctors
• Chernivtsi