Themes by tag: doctors

Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii Pentsak worked as a physical therapist. He headed the rehabilitation department in the network of medical centers in Kyiv and helped Ukrainian defenders recover. With the beginning of the big war, Andrii joined the Hospitallers Medical Battalion (a volunteer organization of paramedics), but later he was mobilized to the 38th separate marine infantry brigade as a combat medic.

In October 2023, Andrii and his brothers in arms came under mortar fire in Kherson region. In the enemy shelling the soldier’s leg got crushed, and his Achilles tendon was damaged. In total, the man underwent 10 operations, was treated in 3 cities of Ukraine, and is currently in Lviv’s Unbroken center. Doctors predict that Andrii will be able to fully restore his walking ability. The veteran himself dreams of returning to work as a physical therapist to help people.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Lviv

Soldier Karma, withholding her identity for safety, fled Luhansk in 2014 with her young daughter amidst militant occupation. A routine visit to her parents in 2016 turned into over three years of enemy detainment after she was accused of associating with detained football ultras. Despite her captivity, Karma’s daughter remained with her parents.

Finally, on December 29, 2019, Karma, alongside 75 others, was freed and returned home. Following rehabilitation, she resumed her studies, earning her diploma. A year later, she resolved to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

While Karma maintains contact with her family, who still reside in the occupied territory with her daughter, she remains committed to her military service. 

Furthermore, she is stationed on the front lines and open to engaging with journalists online.

• doctors
• military
• prisoners
• women

Stanislav Onyshchuk, hailing from Ivano-Frankivsk, initially launched his business with a solo cosmetology center. Later, in collaboration with German investors, he established a plastic surgery clinic. However, with the onset of the full-blown invasion, Onyshchuk made a pivotal decision: transforming the facility into a volunteer surgical hospital, where wounded soldiers receive treatment at no cost.

According to Onyshchuk, the German investors swiftly agreed to reconfigure the hospital, leaving only the task of assembling a team of volunteer doctors. Fortunately, medical professionals from across Ukraine stepped up to offer their services pro bono. Today, the hospital in Prykarpattia not only provides essential treatment to injured soldiers but also facilitates their rehabilitation process.

The entrepreneur has additionally established a polyclinic offering free medical care to internally displaced persons.

• casualties
• doctors
• Ivano-Frankivsk

Olha was an operating room nurse at the Department of Surgery in Hospital No. 555 in Mariupol. Russia’s full-scale invasion caught her while in Mariupol: she was helping to rescue wounded soldiers and civilians (including children). At that time, the medics did not even have time to sleep.

The enemy bomb hit the hospital on March 16, 2022. (The woman was in the operating room at the moment of the attack. The blast wave blew away her and her colleagues). The next day, the nurse was sent to the Ilich Iron and Steel Works together with other doctors. Under extremely tough conditions, in a bunker, they had to do, among other things, bandages and amputations, and doctors even performed open brain neurosurgery.

On April 12, 2022, the nurse and other doctors were taken prisoner. Olha was held in occupied Olenivka, Russian Taganrog, Valuiky, and Kursk, among other places. She was held in captivity for six months. The woman faced humiliation, interrogations, physical and psychological pressure.

Journalists seeking to interview Olha can reach her either in person in Kyiv.

• casualties
• doctors
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

FRIDA Ukraine’s largest medical volunteer mission is once again preparing to go to Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv regions as well as other oblasts, whose residents have been cut off from access to high quality medical care. In particular, 4 such missions are planned for April, and five for May.

The closest consultations will be held in Kherson and Donetsk regions: April 12-14 and April 20-21, respectively.

The team members themselves set up field clinics on site, where they conduct physical examinations and consultations as well as diagnose illnesses. If necessary medical volunteers do surgeries and provide free medicine to vulnerable categories of the civilian population, in particular, children who suffered from the full-scale invasion and occupation.

The media representatives are invited to join these missions.

For reference: During the 2 years of its existence, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission made about 100 trips to the frontline and de-occupied areas.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers

The Hearing Restoration Department has started working at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. According to the Center, every third military or civilian patient in the institutions has experienced hearing loss and needs specialized help encompassing medical treatment, hearing aids and surgical intervention. That is why, together with the specialists of Vidchuy (Feel) NGO, from now on the Center will help to restore another opportunity lost due to the war.

Within just a few days of the department’s operation, Superhumans specialists examined 32 patients, of whom 7 people needed surgical interventions (tympanoplasty), 2 needed hearing aids, another 2 needed cochlear implants, and 12 were diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, which requires constant monitoring.

All the Superhumans Center’s patients with acoustic trauma undergo examinations and remain under the supervision of the Center’s otolaryngologists as well as work with the specialists of Vidchuy NGO, mainly deaf educators and speech therapists.

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv

After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 8,500 Ukrainian children were left without parental care, more than 1,500 became orphans, tens of thousands lost their homes or were forced to relocate. Children’s homes and orphanages in Ukraine are under great pressure today, their resources are exhausted, and access to quality medical care is limited.

As part of the “Little Hearts” project, FRIDA takes care of Children’s homes and orphanages in different parts of Ukraine. Teams consisting of volunteer doctors of different specializations travel to these institutions to examine children and determine if they need medicines, vaccinations, rehabilitation and surgical interventions.

Pediatricians will visit a children’s home in Kyiv region in April.

Media representatives are invited to cover the missions under this project.

• casualties
• children
• doctors
• Kyiv

In a collaborative effort, plastic surgeons from Canada, the United States, and Ukraine are gearing up for the third installment of the “Face the Future Ukraine” medical mission. It aims to provide reconstructive facial surgery to wounded military personnel and civilians. A total of 30 surgeries are slated to be performed on individuals who have sustained severe mine-blast injuries to their faces and necks. The patients come from various regions of Ukraine and include both military personnel and civilians affected by the war. Led by a team of 15 international specialists, the medical mission follows on the heels of two previous successful endeavors, during which “Face the Future Ukraine” surgeons assisted 60 Ukrainians in need. Notably, all surgeries are provided free of charge.

• doctors
• Ivano-Frankivsk

The ‘Doctors for Heroes’ charity project is dedicated to assisting both military personnel and civilians who have suffered facial and head injuries, offering vital reconstruction services. To date, the project has aided 107 military individuals and one civilian.

Under this initiative, skilled surgeons and bioengineers generously provide their expertise pro bono, ensuring patients receive essential medical care. However, for the reconstruction of skull bones, specialized implants are required. Recognizing this need, the Eastern Star Charitable Foundation, the driving force behind the project, has committed to covering the costs of producing these implants for each participant. To fund this crucial aspect, the foundation relies on donations, carefully managing the allocation of resources to ensure targeted assistance. Moreover, it offers ongoing support to patients throughout their treatment journey.

Journalists seeking insights into this impactful endeavor can arrange interviews with project organizers, medical professionals, and beneficiaries in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

Valerii Dzeh, a Kharkiv native, initially made his mark as an educator in local kindergartens and development centers. However, his journey took a creative turn when he delved into the world of puppet theater, ultimately co-founding a troupe in his hometown. Their breakthrough came in 2021 with the staging of a Ukrainian-themed play rooted in mythology, sparking the theater to start turning a profit and compensating its actors.

But it was on February 24, 2022, that Valerii’s fate called him to a new stage. Amid the intense Russian bombardment of Kharkiv’s northern neighborhood Saltivka, his mission shifted to humanitarian aid, evacuating vulnerable residents, particularly those with disabilities. Alongside his wife, he traversed the perilous streets, delivering sustenance and medicines to those in need.

With the city liberated in late 2022, Valerii’s resolve intensified. He enlisted in the 59th OMPB as a combat medic and became a part of the Cultural Forces unit. Alongside fellow service members with artistic backgrounds, Dzeh embarked on a mission to bring morale-boosting puppet shows to the recently liberated Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Performing both behind the lines and on the front, Dzeh believes his work plays a crucial role in uplifting the emotional well-being of military personnel.

For reference: Valerii Dzeh stands firm on the front lines, ready to share his story with journalists, online or offline, upon arrangement.

• culture
• doctors
• military