Themes by tag: doctors

Maryna Kotlobai is a dermatologist who began her journey as a volunteer doctor with FRIDA, the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers. Today she is one of the captains of its field missions.

Maryna is from the town of Khrustalnyi in the Luhansk oblast (occupied since spring 2014). After 2014, she was forced to move to Kharkiv, and later to Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk oblast (occupied since June 2022). When the full-scale invasion began, she had to leave her home again – this time she and her parents fled abroad. But just a few months later, she returned to Ukraine to start a new life in the capital.

Journalists can speak with Maryna in Kyiv, online or during FRIDA’s field missions.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers dedicated to helping civilians. Volunteer doctors provide quality medical care to Ukrainians affected by the war.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Serhii Pryschepa considers March 14, 2022, his second birthday. That day, he and his family attempted to escape from russian-occupied territory in Chernihiv Oblast but were caught in an attack. Their car was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Miraculously, he survived.

Serhii has been undergoing rehabilitation for over a year. The recovery process has been grueling and slow, yet he remains resolute. Not only has he regained his strength, but he has also grown even stronger—thanks to relentless training, he can now lift more weight than he could before his injury.

Background: Serhii Pryschepa is a participant in the Neopalymi (Unburnt) program, a national initiative providing free external rehabilitation and treatment for war-related injuries, burns, and scars. By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian defense forces had fully liberated Chernihiv Oblast from russian occupation.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• russian crimes
• 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.

To date, 50 women have applied. Registration and consultations will continue until March 31, and 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

Petro Krasytskyi from Kyiv has served in Ukraine’s armed forces twice—first in 2015 with the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and again following the full-scale invasion as part of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. During his service, he suffered two strokes, requiring extensive treatment and rehabilitation in both Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Throughout his recovery, Petro was supported by his family doctor, Yuliia Barbolina. She was the one who called an ambulance when he arrived at her office experiencing his second stroke.

Together, they decided to establish a medical center—a vision that quickly became reality with the launch of the Razom Medical Center in Kyiv, which recently marked its first anniversary.

Yuliia serves as the center’s medical director, providing patient consultations and performing ultrasound diagnostics. A modern ultrasound machine was purchased through a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.

The Petro Krasytskyi Clinic offers medical care to both civilians and military personnel. On designated days, military members can receive free medical checkups, while service members, veterans, their families, and families of fallen defenders are eligible for a 20% discount.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Petro and Olha by prior request.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

The Doctors for Heroes charity project is dedicated to helping both military personnel and civilians by performing facial and head reconstructive surgeries following severe injuries. To date, the initiative has enrolled 240 soldiers and two civilians in its program.

Through a collaboration of surgeons and bioengineers, all medical services are provided free of charge to patients. However, the reconstruction of lost skull bones requires the creation of specialized implants. The Doctors for Heroes Charity Foundation funds the production of these implants for each participant. It raises donations from philanthropists, organizes case support throughout treatment, and ensures that funds are used responsibly and effectively.

The project is also expanding into the field of eye prosthetics and ecto prosthetics.

By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to speak with the project’s organizers, doctors, and patients in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

Researchers in Kyiv have developed an innovative medical dressing, Gidrobint, designed to accelerate the healing of burns and wounds. This pioneering hydrogel dressing, created using silver nanoparticle technology, was developed by Professor Volodymyr Neimash of the Institute of Physics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Gidrobint comes in two forms: a wound dressing and a disinfectant spray.  

The idea for Gidrobint originated in 2014 after the battle for Ilovaisk in Donetsk Oblast, where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were injured. Scientists patented the underlying technology in 2017 and introduced the dressing in 2020. Initially, small batches of Gidrobint were independently produced and delivered to the front lines by volunteers.  

When russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the researchers offered their technology to manufacturers free of charge to facilitate mass production. By 2023, entrepreneurs acquired a license for the technology, automating and certifying the production process. In 2024, Gidrobint officially entered large-scale manufacturing.  

For reference: This next-generation Gidrobint hydrogel bandage provides instant pain relief, disinfection, and protection from external infections. It is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and speeds up the healing process without adhering to wounds, ensuring painless removal.  

Journalists interested in learning more about Gidrobint can arrange interviews with its developer, Professor Neimash, as well as with manufacturers and doctors experienced in using the product.  

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• Kyiv

On January 16, a newly restored outpatient clinic will officially open in the village of Zdvyzhivka, located in the Bucha district. The facility, which was devastated during the 2022 occupation of the Kyiv region, has been fully renovated and upgraded after being looted and severely damaged by russian forces.

The clinic now boasts modern equipment and expanded diagnostic services, including ultrasound, laboratory testing, and cardiac evaluations for patients with complex needs. It is set to provide primary healthcare to approximately 2,000 residents of Zdvyzhivka, Babyntsi, and neighboring villages.

The opening ceremony will be attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, regional and local governments, as well as international partners who supported the reconstruction efforts.

• doctors
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

For the first time in Ukraine, surgeons have performed a groundbreaking facial nerve reconstruction using the most advanced method available. This unique procedure was successfully performed by specialists at St. Panteleimon Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv. On January 13, journalists are invited to meet the patient and the surgical team in Lviv.

The patient, 33-year-old Olha Rudenko from Kherson, faced a life-changing challenge. Several years ago, doctors discovered and removed a cyst from her left parotid gland. Unfortunately, the cyst came back, and a second surgery in this high-risk area damaged the trunk of the facial nerve. As a result, the left side of Olha’s face was completely paralyzed.

Reconstructive surgeons from Lviv, in cooperation with international specialists, performed a complex procedure known as facial nerve reanimation. This cutting-edge method is considered the most advanced and challenging in the world, with a 99% success rate. It was a first for Ukraine and a resounding success.

Three months after the surgery, the results are already visible. Olha has started to smile again. Her cheek is gradually regaining movement and her left eye can now close. However, nerve recovery is a long process, and the final results will not be seen for up to a year after the surgery. Olha is currently in rehabilitation.

Journalists must register to attend.

Additional materials: Footage of the patient before surgery and images of the procedure will be available.

• doctors
• women
• Lviv

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