They were nurses and doctors providing care as it is given everywhere in the West. Then, overnight, they had to heal war wounds. Often without proper training, healthcare workers in Ukraine have had to reinvent themselves and improvise — in stress, urgency and insafety — to save lives and care for their fellow citizens.
In the horror of war, Ukrainian doctors have become targets. “The medical teams and the vehicles we use are among the highest priorities of the Russian army,” testified in an interview with the Duty Rustem, a 26-year-old surgeon who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the war began and now works on the front line.
“The Russians are using drones, and when they see vehicles of medical teams, they start bombing us,” he said, mentioning himself having been caught under enemy fire on more than one occasion. A way – cynical if there is one – of increasing the damage tenfold, since by neutralizing the rescue teams, the number of Ukrainian victims can, at the same time, be multiplied.
For safety reasons, The duty cannot disclose Rustem’s last name or where and when the interview was conducted, with the assistance of an interpreter.
Dmytro, 30, who is head of the head and neck surgery department at a hospital in eastern Ukraine, also demands the same discretion. “We know that the Russians scrutinize the news. Revealing this information puts us in danger, ”he explains in an interview from the hospital where he works, which receives wounded soldiers on the front line, as well as civilians.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, dozens of attacks have been made on medical centers. In late May, a Russian missile hit a clinic in Dnipro, killing two civilians and injuring dozens. Other strikes that took place near hospitals would not have been publicized, believes Dmytro. “These cases are hidden so as not to cause panic [dans la population] he says.
Attacks, probably aimed at undermining the morale of the Ukrainians, which punctuate this war of attrition. “I got used to the fact that the Russians bombed military hospitals, “stabilization posts” and medical personnel on the front line, even if it is prohibited by the Geneva Convention, loose Rustem, a cap of the l army screwed on the head. But when we know that the Russians are also hitting civilian hospitals, I strongly condemn. It is a crime against humanity. »
Fear and resourcefulness
The young man from Crimea, who was an intern in a hospital when the war broke out, says that fear accompanies him every moment when he goes to rescue a wounded soldier on the front line. “But I know I can save his life, that’s what motivates me,” he says. His task is to accompany the patients to a “stabilization post”, that is to say a medical post located about fifteen minutes from the front line. From there, Rustem provides them with emergency care and stabilizes their condition before they are transported to a hospital.
While stationed in Bakhmout, a soldier, who had been hit by a bullet in the upper part of his heart, was brought to the “stabilization post”. “He was unconscious, we intubated him, drained the fluid around his heart and gave him a blood transfusion. He had two cardiac arrests at the “stabilization station”, but we managed to resuscitate him. He was able to be evacuated to Dnipro and he is alive today,” rejoices Rustem, adding that this is one of the “most complicated and incredible” cases he has seen. Several other soldiers, however, were less fortunate. “When they’re hit in the head or neck, it’s usually critical and they can die within a day. »
Five months without leaving
Dmytro, for his part, is one of the surgeons who welcome soldiers wounded on the front line to the hospital. “The first question that came to my mind when the war started was: should I go to the hospital and help the patients or rather leave with my family? he recalls. The decision was heartbreaking, but the 30-year-old decided to stay put. “I stayed in the hospital for five months, without leaving it. »
The needs were immense and the disorganization, in the first days, total. Only 60% of medical staff continued to work; the balance having decided to evacuate the area. The procedures – adapted for the care offered to civilians in peacetime – had to be quickly reviewed. There was no longer any question of waiting for the results of tests, blood or other, before operating in sometimes improvised places. “We received a lot of injured patients,” he recalls. And shortages soon surfaced. “At one point, all our supplies were stopped. We had to manage with what we had on site. »
When power outages occurred, patients leaving operating theaters had to be transferred to resuscitation rooms by stairs rather than elevators. A challenge, both for the patient and for the staff, which was increased tenfold by the cellular network failures. “We had to find the necessary reinforcements [pour transporter les patients] in the hospital with no means of communication. »
When the sirens sounded at night, Dmytro and his fellow doctors—who had also taken up residence in the hospital—had to help the patients down to the shelters. “We weren’t just doctors anymore, we were security guards, administrators, etc. We took care of a multitude of tasks. »
where they should be
Since then, weeks and months have passed and the medical team has become more experienced. “It was very difficult and demanding at first, but we got used to it and we developed new procedures that make the job easier,” he says. If “positive news soon arrives from the front” – meaning that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is bearing fruit – the hospital could again be heavily strained by a new influx of wounded, he fears.
But Dmytro says he still has energy to continue. “I am ready to make sacrifices to ensure that my children are never involved in a war [comme celle-là]. I want us to have the thickest border possible so that no Russian can ever cross it again. »
Rustem, who was in Crimea when the peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014, also says he believes he is where he needs to be. “I wasn’t prepared for the full invasion — no one was — but when it started I was very aware of what I had to do. It’s my duty to stay here. »
Read tomorrow: Injuries morals. The burden healthcare workers in Ukraine