Themes by tag: doctors

Before the outbreak of the full-blown war, Yevheniia Mashyna was a saleswoman in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. In late May 2022, a russian shell exploded just five meters from her window, leaving Yevheniia with severe shrapnel wounds to her arms, hips, and face.

While her physical injuries healed, the resulting scars caused persistent pain and discomfort. Seeking relief, Yevheniia turned to the Neopalymi (Unburned) project, which specializes in treating war-related injuries. At the clinic, Yevheniia received complimentary scar treatment for her arm and facial scars.

Today, Yevheniia has relocated to Odesa, where she is now assisting internally displaced persons. 

For reference: The Unburned project aims to offer comprehensive free treatment for military personnel, volunteers, civilians, and children affected by burns and scars due to the war. Supported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and various partners, the initiative strives to alleviate the physical and emotional impacts of conflict-related injuries.

• casualties
• doctors
• women
• Odesa

Before the full-scale invasion, Yevheniia Kim from Mykolaiv (a city in the south of Ukraine) was an icon painter. However, with the first explosions in February 2022, Yevheniia put down her brush and started volunteering. She even turned her workshop into a volunteer hub.

At first, Yevheniia evacuated women and children from Mykolaiv, and after the death of her friend, she joined the efforts to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. Currently, the woman cooperates with the local Voluntary formation of the territorial community as a volunteer paramedic. Yevheniia does not receive a salary, however, she is able to go to the front line and return home at her own request. Yevheniia is not sure that she will be able to paint again after the Victory.

For reference: Yevheniia Kim is either in Mykolaiv or at the front line. The paramedic is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Mykolaiv

Iryna Vlasenko is a doctor specializing in dermatology and venereology who survived the russian occupation in Melitopol (Zaporizhia region). She knows the feeling when it seems that everyone has forgotten about you. These memories motivate her to volunteer at FRIDA (the Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission). Together with other doctors, Iryna attends to patients both in the front-line regions and in the borderlands, and shows by her example that people who live there are remembered.

The trips also help her deal with her fears about her husband, who is now on the front lines. While her husband has operated a Mavic drone on over 100 missions, Iryna has gone on more than 40 trips to the front-line territories.

Journalists have the opportunity to talk with Iryna in Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the volunteer trips made by FRIDA Ukraine.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer mission that aims to help the civilian population. Volunteer doctors provide Ukrainians affected by hostilities with high-quality healthcare.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

Ukraine’s National Guard fighter and combat medic Serhii Korshun was in Mariupol when the full-scale invasion began. He provided medical care to wounded soldiers in the city and later at Azovstal. Serhii received the order to surrender with composure. Initially, he was held in a colony in Olenivka, in the occupied Donetsk region, before being transferred to Sverdlovsk, russia. There, the russians permitted him to tend to injured Ukrainians. Serhii dressed wounds, removed shrapnel, and ensured that the 198 people in his barracks did not contract tuberculosis. He didn’t believe he was part of a prisoner exchange until he saw the Ukrainian flag. He returned home on February 8 this year, after spending more than a year and a half in russian captivity.

Currently, Serhii is undergoing rehabilitation and always carries a combat first aid kit. 

Serhii Korshun is in Kryvyi Rih and is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.

• doctors
• military
• prisoners

A social project in support of Ukrainian defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil, since the beginning of the full-scale war. The project makes it possible for couples to undergo a free infertility treatment program, as well as to cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).

Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about this project by talking to the doctor of medical sciences, reproductive endocrinologist Stefan Khmil. And, if possible, with couples who used the services provided by the initiative.

• children
• doctors
• military
• Lviv
• Ternopil

Oksana Myronenko was a surgeon in her hometown of Luhansk. In 2014, following russia’s initial attack on Ukraine and the occupation of the city, Oksana and her husband relocated to Bucha in the Kyiv region.

In February 2022, during the Russian assault on Kyiv, reluctant to face occupation again and swiftly moved with her children from Bucha to Kyiv. Tragically, Oksana’s parents also attempted to flee Bucha, but her mother died and her father was injured en route.

In spring 2022, Oksana and her sister established the Nash Sokil (Our Falcon) charity foundation, dedicated to aiding internally displaced persons with limited mobility. They named the foundation in honor of their late mother, whose last name was Sokolovska. Despite her new responsibilities, Oksana continues her medical practice, performing at least 30 surgeries a month in Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv. As a peripheral nerve injuries expert, she helped many soldiers avoid disability and alleviate pain. Oksana offers all surgeries for military personnel at no charge. 

Journalists can interview Oksana Myronenko in Ivano-Frankivsk or Kyiv.

• casualties
• dead
• doctors
• occupation
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk
• Kyiv

Vladyslav Kushniruk, a skilled implant surgeon based in Kyiv, stepped up to the challenge as the full-scale invasion loomed. When the opportunity arose to contribute to a charity initiative aimed at aiding the military, Kushniruk wasted no time in joining forces.

The Swiss corporation, Straumann, generously donated 5,000 implants and accompanying components to the Ukrainian armed forces, enabling Kushniruk and his team to address the dental woes plaguing soldiers. These issues stem not only from combat injuries but also from subpar water conditions and inadequate hygiene facilities on the front lines. Additionally, philanthropists extend their support to soldiers captured by russian forces.

The process begins with a comprehensive assessment by the medical team, followed by consultations, treatment planning, and the procurement of necessary implants. Soldiers then undergo a rigorous treatment regimen, including surgeries and rehabilitation.

In a touching gesture of gratitude, soldiers leave their signatures on Ukrainian flags, with over a hundred such mementos collected. One of these flags will find a permanent home in a Kyiv hospital, while the other will journey to Switzerland.

• doctors
• military

Lieutenant Oleksandr “Biker” Voznyi was commanding a platoon in the Air Assault Division during an attack on the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhia. A shell exploded two meters away from him, shredding his lungs, spine and limbs. Oleksandr experienced significant blood loss and suffered 7 cardiac arrests. The MOAS team performed desperate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in their ambulance while racing him to the nearest hospital for life-saving treatment. The team consisted of Stanislav Geranin (anesthesiologist), Volodymyr Vahonin (paramedic) and Serhiy Goldovansky (driver).

“I’d lost too much blood and they couldn’t inject any medicine because my veins were buried. But the MOAS medic somehow believed he could keep me alive. He said he would keep pumping me and transfer me to the regional hospital. I’m extremely grateful to the team. Every day I thank God that I’m alive. I’m so happy my children will not be orphans,” says the fighter.

In addition, on June 14, Oleksandr Voznyi will speak in Kyiv at the presentation of the book “Sirens of Hope: The MOAS Mission to Save Lives in Ukraine,” which highlights the heroic work performed by the organization’s Ukrainian medical teams.

Last November, President Zelenskyy awarded Oleksandr with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Third Class. He was also awarded medals by the Mayor of Kyiv and the Commander of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for his bravery and selfless commitment to preserving the lives of his brothers in arms. Oleksandr is still undergoing intensive rehabilitation therapy.

Oleksandr’s meeting with doctors will take place in a small room, so we recommend applying for media accreditation in advance. The MOAS team can also provide media representatives with photos and videos of Oleksandr’s rescue.

For reference: MOAS, the international humanitarian non-governmental organization, has been working in Ukraine since the start of the war and has now saved more than 45,000 lives. It employs 150 teams of all-Ukrainian medics in 50 ambulances supplied with state-of-the-art life-saving equipment. MOAS receives no government funding and relies entirely on fundraising to keep its operation costing USD 1 million a month on the road.

• casualties
• doctors
• military

FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission implemented the Mobile Dentistry project with the support of United Help Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian charitable initiatives in the United States. On May 25-26, the mobile clinic together with a team of volunteer doctors embarked on its first mission to Kherson region. Within two days, the team managed to examine, consult and help 27 patients.

The mobile clinic is equipped with a dental unit, which includes: a compressor, a suction unit, a portable X-ray machine, a photopolymer lamp, etc. The Mobile Dentistry project can provide a full range of therapeutic, outpatient surgical, orthopedic and orthodontic dental services.

The mobile clinic is gearing up for its next mission as it prepares to see patients in the Sumy region on June 8-9.

Journalists are invited to cover the work of the Mobile Dentistry project on-site and learn more about the opportunities that such mobile clinics open up for doctors in places where it is not possible to conduct specialized examinations.

• casualties
• doctors

On May 10, Lviv will host an opening of the Prosthetics Center. It will operate from the premises of the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center. The Center has all the necessary equipment for the production of modern hand and foot prostheses. In addition to facilities for taking measurements, manufacturing, testing and trying on artificial limbs, there is also a walking laboratory, a room for specialists to train in and a courtyard for patients to relax. The Center will train specialists for all of Ukraine. It will also be a place to conduct research in prosthetics and the development of Ukrainian startups.

The goal of the UNBROKEN Prosthetics and Orthotics Center is to improve the field of prosthetics in Ukraine. Namely, to create a space for theoretical and practical training as well as for training prosthetists and orthotics specialists according to the standards of ISPO – the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Participants:

• Andriy Sadovyi, Lviv City Mayor;
• Oleh Samchuk, General Director of the Lviv First Territorial Medical Union;
• Daniel Boucher, Director of GIZ Ukraine.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the event.

For reference: The initiative is implemented within the framework of the “Special Assistance Program Ukraine/ EU4ResilientRegions” project, implemented by GIZ Ukraine and funded by the German government.

• casualties
• doctors
• Lviv