UK-Med set up a field surgical unit in the hospital grounds to keep its services running while the facilities are rebuilt.
Led by David Anderson, the new field hospital was set up and running within 12 days – with help from local Ukrainian team members.
It has been set up next to the original hospital building and has its own ward area, nurses’ hub and operating theatre.
There has been high demand in Ukraine for surgical support to meet the acute demand for specialist surgery for people injured on the frontlines, particularly war wounds and limb and facial reconstruction.
Consultant Surgeon Angus Watson and NHS Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Hamish Hay are specialised in treating war wounded and limb reconstruction and performed the first operations at the unit.
“When the hospital was under attack, the staff brought patients down to this area and two children were born down here,” explained Angus in a report about the facility on UK-Med’s website.
As Angus, Hamish and the wider UK-Med clinical team began to engage more with the local hospital teams, it was discovered that they have a critical shortage of supplies. Some basic consumables, such as bed pans, urine bottles, surgical drapes and sutures have not been available in the area.
Essential pharmaceuticals, surgical operating consumables and essential equipment for the ward are now being transported to the hospital.
For further information about UK-Med’s activities in Ukraine, visit https://www.uk-med.org
