Ukraine
On 24th February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, plunging the nation into war marked by air strikes, artillery fire and ground battles. The human toll is staggering with over 9,900 verified civilian deaths, translating into nearly 16 lives lost daily.
The conflict has forced ten million people to flee, either internally or to other countries as refugees. More than 40% of Ukraine’s 18 million population urgently require humanitarian assistance. Shockingly, the World Health Organisation confirms over 1,300 attacks on healthcare, constituting over half of all global healthcare assaults during the same period.
Since the war began, we have made a commitment to Ukraine’s doctors. Our mission is to empower medical professionals facing multiple war wounds on the ground.
Our action in Ukraine
RUSSIA'S INVASION
12 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, we upskilled 573 Ukrainian surgeons during a marathon 12-hour surgical training course online, led by our Co-Founder David Nott and Dr Henry Marsh.
LOCAL TRANSLATION
To support from across the border, we condensed our training into online lectures, translated them into Ukrainian, and shared them with frontline doctors across the country.
crossing the border
In April 2022, our Co-Founder reached Ukraine and delivered an operating mission to treat civilians with war injuries. While there, he upskilled local doctors to manage complex, multi-organ wounds.
OUR TRAINING
From David’s operating mission, it was clear the needs in Ukraine were vast. For the first time, we sent a small team of trainers, including Dr Mathew, to Dnipro and Kharkiv to upskill 58 surgeons.
OUR IMPACT IN A YEAR
By delivering surgical courses in Ukrainian cities such as Odessa, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Poltava, with support from UOSSM International, we empowered 213 frontline doctors with life saving skills in 2022.
ukrainian refugees
To better equip Moldovan surgeons for growing numbers of Ukrainian refugees from their neighbour, we joined forces with the World Health Organisation for the first time and trained 30 surgeons.
TEACHING ANAESTHETISTS
Our frontline anaesthesia course was delivered for the very first time in Ukraine and has since been delivered multiple times across the country and in Moldova, in collaboration with WHO.
SCHOLARSHIPS
As part of our wider Ukraine program, we funded two doctors to complete paediatric trauma surgical training, helping them deliver the best possible care for children injured by the war.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
As our impact in Ukraine has grown, we have gained support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Health. Together, we have made a commitment to train every surgeon in the country as long as this war wages.
“We aim to continue developing world-class training, delivering skills enhancement in challenging environments. Our dedication to Ukraine remains steadfast, for as long as it’s needed.”
David Nott, Co-Founder
Ukraine stories
A milestone mission in Ukraine
In October, we partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO),…
8 November 2024
Teaching 86 war doctors in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
86 more Ukrainian doctors are now armed with trauma surgery skills…
3 April 2024
Two years of war and two years of attacks on healthcare
Two years have passed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the…
24 February 2024
Funding paediatric trauma training for two Ukrainian surgeons
In the wake of ongoing conflict, we have taken a significant step in…
11 December 2023
80 surgeons and anaesthetists upskilled in Kyiv, Ukraine
Our new Chief Operating Officer, Tim Law, recently returned from his…
18 September 2023
As attacks intensify in Ukraine, our commitment remains
Russia has intensified attacks in northeast Ukraine, prompting the…
24 August 2023
Hospice Ukraine raises over £50,000 to better serve the terminally ill
Photo credit: Hospice Ukraine and the Royal Society of Medicine,…
16 June 2023
“As soon as Russia invaded, we started seeing the wounded”
After troops crossed Ukraine’s borders in March 2022, Igor Belkin, a…
17 March 2023
Training anaesthetists in war zones
Dr Elma Wong is a consultant anaesthetist in Worcestershire Acute…
2 December 2022