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Life after occupation: Providing medical care for the people of Kharkiv

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February of this year, neighbouring Kharkiv – just 40 kilometres miles from the border – was one of the first regions to be occupied.  

After 29 weeks of bitter fighting between Ukrainian and invading Russian forces, Ukraine recaptured the Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022. In villages and towns across the region, UK-Med is running mobile health clinics for people whose lives have been uprooted by the conflict.  

“It was like a ghost town” 

The Kharkiv Oblast is the country’s second-largest region: covering a wide span of 350km2 – roughly the same size as Wales and Northern Ireland combined – but few humanitarian organisations are operating here, adding to the enormity of the health needs. 

When the UK-Med assessment teams first travelled across Ukraine in early March 2022, Kharkiv was one of the first areas that Nurse David Anderson visited. 

“It was like a ghost town,” David explains. “In March, there was no one out on the streets. Many people had left and those who stayed were in bunkers under their homes or in the subway system.” 

Around 100,000 people were living in Kharkiv’s subway system for safety – many for over six months, and some of whom are still living there now. 

Despite no longer being occupied, the land is still hotly contended. Air raid sirens and missiles continue to go off regularly and strike just a couple of kilometres away. Still, slowly but surely, people are returning to the streets and a semblance of normality returning. 

Devastated infrastructure and the remnants of war 

“Because of the damage to bridges and roads, you might need to travel 180 kilometres for a journey that should have been 60,” David explains. “There are remnants of fighting everywhere. Ukrainian workers walk up and down the streets clearing unexploded devices.” 

These long distances are extremely limiting to people’s ability to travel and mean that many have gone months and months without access to healthcare. 

Seven months later, in September 2022, David returned to the region to assess the health needs once more. He and the team began setting up local clinics – removing the accessibility barriers for the community’s most vulnerable populations. In the first week, the team had set up three clinics. By the second, they’d set up thirteen. 

The mental toll of fighting 

Many of the patients attending the clinic are elderly with a multitude of chronic health conditions that desperately need medical care and attention.  

Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems are some of the common conditions being treated at the clinics, but it’s the psychological toll of months of fighting that is particularly severe. This is why each clinic is manned by psychiatrist as well as a doctor and nurse. 

“The signs of battle are everywhere,” Professor Tony Redmond, UK-Med’s founder tells us during his experience in the region. “There are multiple heavily guarded checkpoints to negotiate and bombed and burned-out buildings.” 

The team had seen over 150 patients in just a few weeks. The psychological and physical health needs of the people living in the area are acute – and are only expected to grow as the conflict continues. 

The approaching winter 

After a hot summer, winter is returning quickly: temperatures are rapidly dropping and many of the villages and towns are still without electricity, gas, or water supplies. Damaged roofs, walls and windows will make the harsh winter even more challenging and exacerbate health issues. 

Without power and struggling phone signals, spreading the news about free health services is challenging. Whereas social media platforms have been invaluable in setting up our mobile health clinics in other parts of Ukraine, our staff have been spreading the news door-to-door and coordinating communication with community leaders such as local Mayors. 

“The way we’ve been spreading the word is to tell people that on a specific day at a location, there’ll be a doctor, nurse and psychiatrist seeking any patients for around four hours,” David adds.  

“Then, we can provide check-ups, medical care, medication, and often most importantly, someone to talk to.” 

In one village in Kharkiv, UK-Med’s clinic is the only health facility in the area. It’s run by Dr Nadia, a Ukrainian GP, who is working with UK-Med. It’s housed in what was meant to be a new polyclinic but was left unfinished when the war started. 

“At the clinic, an older patient tells us that she had fled to Poltava when the Russians invaded but has since returned,” Tony explains. “Her home was badly damaged, so she is replacing the windows and restarting her kitchen garden. 

“Our staff provided medication for the patient’s hypertension and arthritis as well as a COVID-19 test – thankfully negative. She thanked the staff warmly and it’s clear how valued our input is.” 

We were able to hit the ground running in Ukraine because of your support. If you are able to, donate today to make sure we can provide healthcare for those affected by outbreaks, conflict and disasters in Ukraine and across the world. 

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