Themes by tag: doctors
On July 25–26, groups of volunteer doctors from FRIDA Ukraine will travel to the Zaporizhzhia region on missions to provide medical assistance to civilians in frontline areas.
By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the medical volunteers and interview patients and doctors.
Background: FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer missions are regular trips by teams of doctors to frontline and remote communities across Ukraine. Each mission includes more than 20 specialists in various fields, including neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, dermatologists and others. During the missions, local residents receive free medical examinations, consultations and tests. The team has also recently begun conducting cancer screenings — early detection of cancer aimed at helping identify the disease at an early stage.
Memorial services for fallen Ukrainian healthcare workers will be held simultaneously in 20 countries around the world on July 10, 2026.
The organizers are calling on hospitals, healthcare institutions, military medical units, clergy, and media organizations to join the commemorative initiative through the following acts of remembrance:
Joint memorial service in Kyiv. A memorial service for fallen healthcare workers will be held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery with the participation of members of the Honorary Council of the Order, government officials, the medical community, and the families of the fallen heroes. A flower-laying ceremony at the memorial alley near the monastery will follow.
Minute of silence and nationwide bell ringing. With the support of the clergy, churches across Ukraine participating in the initiative will ring memorial bells. At the same time, a nationwide minute of silence will be observed, accompanied by a special audio recording of a heartbeat fading into silence.
Flashing lights of honor. Healthcare institutions and ambulance services are invited to briefly switch on the emergency lights of ambulances as a tribute to their fallen colleagues.
“White Coat” installation. Hospitals and healthcare institutions will continue the tradition of placing an empty chair draped with a white medical coat or military camouflage uniform, accompanied by photographs of healthcare workers from the institution who lost their lives.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, it has become clear that not only soldiers defending Ukraine on the front line are being killed in the war. russian forces have deliberately targeted Ukrainian healthcare workers.
The Order of Saint Panteleimon has joined efforts with its Regional Councils and the National Scientific Medical Library of Ukraine to collect, verify, and document information about healthcare professionals who have given their lives for Ukraine’s freedom since 2014.
Together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, July 10 has been designated as the All-Ukrainian Day of Remembrance for Fallen Healthcare Workers. The date was chosen symbolically, two weeks before Ukraine’s Medical Workers’ Day, observed on July 27.
Journalists can request additional information and media materials about the event.
Background: The Order of Saint Panteleimon, awarded for professionalism and compassion, is Ukraine’s highest and most prestigious public award in healthcare, often referred to as the country’s “Medical Oscar.” Established in 2009, it has operated as a large-scale civic initiative since 2017. The Order has a unique structure that includes an Honorary Council composed of senior state officials, church leaders, prominent scientists, and leading medical professors, as well as regional branches throughout Ukraine and 20 international councils. Today, the Order brings together the country’s leading healthcare professionals and includes around 270 recipients whose dedication has embodied the principles of compassion. As the coordinator of the Memory Light initiative, the Order fulfills its highest moral mission by preserving the memory of those who protected the lives of others until their last breath.
Today, the Memory Light initiative is much more than a commemorative date. It is a large-scale project dedicated to supporting the families of fallen healthcare workers and preserving the memory of their lives and service.
On July 11–12, teams of volunteer doctors from FRIDA Ukraine will travel to frontline communities in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region to provide medical care to civilians.
By prior arrangement, journalists can accompany the medical volunteers to document their work and interview both patients and doctors.
Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions are regular deployments of multidisciplinary medical teams to frontline and remote communities across Ukraine. Each mission brings together more than 20 specialists, including neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, internists, dermatologists, and other healthcare professionals. During these visits, local residents receive free medical examinations, consultations, and laboratory tests. More recently, the team has also introduced cancer screening to help detect diseases at an early stage.
While traveling to one of the communities where they were providing medical care in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, the FRIDA Ukraine medical team witnessed yet another russian attack on civilians. The doctors saw an enemy drone strike a combine harvester working in a field.
A 30-year-old man was injured in the attack. The combine caught fire, and the surrounding wheat field also ignited. FRIDA Ukraine doctors provided the victim with first aid before emergency responders arrived.
“We picked him up, moved to a safer location, and provided first aid. He had a blast injury, and his face and legs had been hit by shrapnel. We then waited for the emergency medical team to arrive and handed him over to the paramedics,” said Nataliia Domochkina, a pediatric dentist with FRIDA Ukraine.
By prior arrangement, journalists can interview the doctors in Kyiv and receive photos and video materials.
Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions are regular deployments of multidisciplinary medical teams to frontline and remote communities across Ukraine. Each mission brings together more than 20 specialists, including neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, internists, dermatologists, and other healthcare professionals. During these visits, local residents receive free medical examinations, consultations, and laboratory tests. More recently, the team has also introduced cancer screening services.
This year, the forum focuses on one of the most pressing topics of modern warfare: providing aid to the wounded during delayed evacuation. Due to the constant threat of FPV drones, evacuation from positions can be delayed for hours or even days. Consequently, the survival of the wounded increasingly depends on personnel training and new medical approaches.
The forum will bring together combat medics, military doctors, tactical medicine instructors, and representatives from training centers and medical services of combat units.
Speakers include Andriy Shuvalov (CEO of the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation), Olha Kramareva (Associate Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine), Vlad Chumachenko (Head of the “Tactical Medicine North” unit), Anton Skladaniuk (Head of Pre-Hospital Tactical Care at the 151st Training Center), as well as representatives from the III Army Corps, the 1st Detached Medical Battalion, and others.
A dedicated session will cover telemedicine, practical case studies in casualty care, and new approaches to military training.
Entry for media representatives is granted upon prior accreditation confirmation.
David Plaster is a former US military medic. After retiring from service, he traveled to more than 100 countries. In 2012, he decided to settle in Ukraine. In 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity, David treated the wounded on the Maidan.
Following the outbreak of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), David trained Ukrainian service members in tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) and prepared instructors to pass on these crucial skills. Back then, a language barrier hindered David’s work, as he had to communicate through gestures with those who did not speak English. Today, the veteran is already fluent in Ukrainian.
Additionally, in 2014, he founded the “Anomaly” non-governmental organization, which provides humanitarian aid, conducts training sessions in both tactical medicine and English, and supports veterans and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Each month, the NGO’s team trains between 400 and 800 people in tactical medicine.
Interviews and conversations with David Plaster can be arranged both online and in-person in Kyiv, subject to prior agreement.
On February 24, 2022, Olha Shtern found herself without identification documents. A day before russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she had submitted her passport to change her surname following a divorce. At the time, she was living and working in Mykolaiv, a southern Ukrainian city.
After the invasion began, volunteers helped Olha and her child evacuate abroad.
A host family on Portugal’s Azores Islands took them in. But neither the islands’ natural beauty, nor the support of those who had helped her, nor her volunteer activities there could persuade Olha to remain outside Ukraine. With war continuing at home, she felt she was not doing enough.
She soon returned to Ukraine. In Odesa, Olha enlisted and became a combat medic in a combat unit, where she continues to serve.
She has served in some of the war’s fiercest battle zones, including Bakhmut, Soledar and Blahodatne. She recalls how, during another shelling attack, the blast wave threw her back, and her only concern was that she had lost her radio. Although she has suffered four concussions during her service, only one has been officially documented.
Olha has also faced sexism within the military. She says she managed to overcome that difficult period thanks to the support of her fellow service members.
From time to time, she considers returning to civilian life. But she dismisses those thoughts after saving another wounded person.
Her son is waiting for her at home and is being cared for by his godmother.
Journalists interested in speaking with Olha Shtern may arrange interviews either online or in person in Kharkiv region by prior appointment.
UNBROKEN University was created to develop knowledge and solutions shaped by practical experience, international dialogue, and real-world expertise.
The institution includes the School of Municipal Governance and the School of Medicine. Specialists can deepen their practical knowledge and skills in infection control, rehabilitation, surgery, anesthesiology, psychological support, and other areas of healthcare. Alongside postgraduate education and simulation-based training, the university is actively developing scientific research, interdisciplinary cooperation, and innovative approaches to treatment and patient recovery. Training sessions in emergency care, critical care, and resuscitation are also held there.
On May 14, a new educational space at the university will be presented in Lviv. The purchase of the building was made possible thanks to support from Direct Relief, the largest donor to Ukrainian medical institutions.
As part of the event, visitors will be able to join a practical basic life support training session. Participants will learn how to respond correctly in critical situations, including cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, and breathing difficulties.
Journalists are required to register in advance for the event.
Background: Direct Relief is an international humanitarian non-profit organization founded in California in 1948. Its mission is to help people affected by poverty, wars, and emergencies by supplying hospitals and patients with essential medicines and medical equipment.
Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the organization has delivered more than 3,000 tons of medical aid to Ukrainian hospitals and has supported the development of rehabilitation, prosthetics, mental health services, and energy resilience for medical facilities.
Representatives of Direct Relief will also attend the official opening. Among them will be the organization’s new CEO, Amy Weaver, who will visit Ukraine for the first time to learn more about the work of UNBROKEN University.
Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics (MCOP) has provided high-tech prosthetics and rehabilitation services for people with amputations of varying severity for more than 20 years. For 17 years, the center served as an official partner of the U.S. Department of Defense in providing prosthetic care for military personnel involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since March 2025, MCOP has been operating in Kyiv. Thanks to advanced prosthetics and rehabilitation programs provided by the center, more than 100 Ukrainian veterans have already been able to return to civilian life, resume hobbies, find employment, and start families.
The center provides free prosthetic programs under Ukrainian government resolutions No. 321 and No. 518, as well as within the framework of the $11.6 million grant project “Iceland Supports Mobility in Ukraine” and a joint project with Razom for Ukraine focused on bionic upper-limb prosthetics.
Media representatives are invited to visit MCOP Ukraine in Kyiv, where they will have an opportunity to speak with the founders and staff of the center, as well as veterans undergoing prosthetic treatment. Visits and interviews are arranged individually with the center’s press office.
FRIDA Ukraine runs first aid training sessions for civilians with no medical background. The sessions are designed for people who want to be prepared to act in critical situations and provide lifesaving assistance before professional medics arrive.
Since launching the initiative, the organization has already held more than 100 training sessions. As part of the specialized Stop the Bleed course, participants learn how to:
- stop life-threatening bleeding;
- act effectively under stress and time pressure;
- provide assistance in trauma situations;
- respond to road accidents and other emergencies.
The trainings take place in multiple formats — from sessions at FRIDA’s office to field-based and simulation exercises using realistic scenarios. The main focus is on practical skills that help people make quick decisions and potentially save lives.
By prior arrangement, journalists can attend and cover FRIDA Ukraine’s civilian first aid trainings in Kyiv. The organization can also conduct first aid training sessions for international media teams.
