“Sit down, I don’t have much time“. Victor Krigli has already operated on two patients this Monday, May 2. The head of the surgery department at the main hospital in Kramatosk, the capital of Donbass, has been on deck since the start of the war, constantly treating civilians and military.
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On April 8, many people came to be treated in his service, after the bombardment of the city’s station by the Russians. That day, 57 people lost their lives. “They bring us especially the wounded by bullet, in the chest, in the abdomen“, says the caregiver. The whole difficulty is the lack of personnel to cope: “We were 402 and now there are only 160 caregivers left.“The laboratory workers have left, the surgeons too, the consultations are almost non-existent.
The head of the surgery department of the city’s number one hospital knows it well: his hospital is a target for the Russians. “Of course I’m scared, only fools aren’t scared”. The caregiver talks about what happened in Mariupol, in Chernihiv, in Kharkiv. Despite everything, like a hundred others, he decided to stay: “Maybe because it’s my job”he breathes.
“My colleagues and I have decided to fulfill our duty until the end”
Victor Krigli, head of the surgery department at Kramatorsk hospitalfranceinfo
Above all, he knows that if he leaves, the town’s civilians and soldiers will no longer be able to be operated on. In neighboring towns, surgeries have all fled the war and Russian abuses.
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In a hospital room, under a thick blanket, we meet an old woman named Tamara. She points to her shoulder: she was hit by shrapnel. Hospitalized for a week, she praises these caregivers who remain despite the danger, “outstanding doctors” and one “perfect collective” according to her.
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The one who takes care of her is a young intern. Andrey assures him: he will only leave town if he has no choice. “People are suffering so we stay here. We see gunshot wounds and landmines. Who’s going to help these people if it’s not us?” The hospital evacuation plan is already planned with evacuation buses. Caregivers have made an oath: to leave no one behind.
In Kramatosk, in the Donbass, the hospital continues to operate – The report by Farida Nouar and Fabien Gosset
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