Medical intern Alina Manko sits at a desk talking with a woman as other patients wait their turn.
Dressed in a waistcoat and a red cap, Mme Manko is part of a group of mobile units funded by the Canadian Red Cross providing health care in central Ukraine to thousands of citizens displaced by the war with Russia.
“It’s part of my job to help people if they’re broken,” Alina Manko said in halting English from the makeshift clinic inside a community center in Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi, two o’clock in the morning. south of Kyiv.
The clinic moves each time after a few days to another community and settles in different buildings.
It’s always busy, according to Ms. Manko. Most patients seeking help are elderly or young children.
“It is a very important job for us and our team to help these elderly people on a daily basis. We try to help solve their problems, to provide medicine,” she says.
Dozens of boxes of clothing and medical supplies are stacked in rows at the entrance to the clinic.
Three retired elderly people wait on a bench outside for the chance to see the doctor or a nurse. They speak with The Canadian Press through an interpreter.
The women showed up the day before, they say, but it was busy, and they were asked to come back the next morning. Tamara Romanova says she has problems with her knee.
“I go to the usual clinics, but they can’t solve my problems, so I tried to find a way to solve the problem with the help of the Red Cross,” she recalls.
“They don’t have access to this care”
Most of the mobile units settled in Cherkasy Oblast, a relatively safe area where around 300,000 Ukrainians have taken refuge. They rented apartments, moved in with other families or settled in community centers. Some have fled heavy fighting in areas such as Donbass and Kharkiv.
Lovov Momot says that it is peaceful in Korsoun-Shevchenkivskyï, but that it is not her home, and that there is not enough help.
“I have been living in Korsoun for more than two years. There is no regular help here. There was no humanitarian aid for five months, she says while waiting to see the doctor. Everyone wants to go home. »
Mathieu Leonard, program manager for the Canadian Red Cross in Ukraine, says the country’s health system is under strain.
“The health system has been seriously affected due to reduced resources, and also displaced people. They do not have access to this care,” he explains.
Central Ukraine has become a refuge for those fleeing war, says Mr. Leonard.
“First is safety. There are relatively fewer attacks in this region, he explains. It is also relatively closer to their home provinces. And economically, the cost of living is a bit lower than in places like Kyiv or other big cities. »
The Canadian Red Cross is also helping renovate some community centers used to house displaced people, making sure the buildings have proper plumbing and heating, Leonard adds.
A former university dormitory transformed into a community center in Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi receives a new coat of paint, new furniture and new bathrooms. It houses 98 people, mostly women and children. Each floor contains offices so that the children can continue their studies.
Mr. Leonard mentions that mental health support is also offered.
“One of the things we’re seeing more and more of is psychological distress that starts to build up over time,” he says. You see young people who have been suddenly injured, and whose lives have changed after amputations, and things like that. It’s a tough condition, so we try to at least give them some help. »
Yulia Holodna, head of the Cherkasy branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross, says each floor of the community center will accommodate children of different ages.
“We will create a special study area for these children. And we will have several activities here, different types of psychologists and different types of social workers who will work with them,” she says.
Mr. Leonard says the work can be heartbreaking. “It’s never easy. It’s difficult, but I admire people,” he says.
“They are very strong. They’re very resilient and they really put in a lot of effort to contribute,” he adds.