War has been simmering in eastern Ukraine since 2014. This war escalated on 24 February 2022 when the Russian forces started a full-scale military invasion across Ukraine. The war continues to cause civilian casualties and significant damage to critical and medical infrastructure, particularly in the east, southeast and northeast of the country, where the fighting is most intense.
In August 2022, the Ukrainian counter-offensives in the south (Kherson region) and in September 2022 in the east (Kharkiv region) saw substantial amounts of territory retaken. At the same time, heavy fighting is ongoing today in the Donetsk region surrounding Avdiivka and Bakhmut, in the Kharkiv region close to Kupiansk city, and in the Zaporizhzhia direction there are a few hot spots such as Novoprokopivka, Verbove, Robotyne.
MSF teams evacuate patients from hospitals close to the frontlines, including trauma patients, and refer them to hospitals using two medically equipped trains and four ambulances. One of the trains provides basic medical care, while the other is equipped to provide intensive care for patients with serious conditions.
The war has had a devastating impact on the continuity of care for those with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension both for internally displaced people and those still living near the frontlines. To ensure continuity of care and respond to emerging mental health needs, MSF mobile clinic teams of psychologists, doctors and health promoters support patients and communities with medical consultations. Our mobile clinics in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions also screen for tuberculosis.
In the Kostiantynivka and Selydove hospitals in Donetsk, and hospitals in Kherson city, Kherson region, MSF teams see trauma patients.
MSF teams support the Ukrainian healthcare system with specialisation and training in physiotherapy, post-operative care and psychological consultations.
