Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, MOAS has provided emergency first responder services, ensuring prompt medical assistance to critical patients on the frontline and aid to the communities most impacted by the escalation of violence. But what is it really like to be saving lives at in an active warzone?
The situation in Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine is nearing the two-year mark and continues to inflict immense human suffering, death, and destruction, putting millions at risk while generating vast humanitarian needs. Thousands of people have been killed, injured, or maimed, including hundreds of children.
The conflict has forced millions to flee their homes and nearly 4 million people – including almost 1 million children – are internally displaced across Ukraine. Furthermore, over 6 million Ukrainians are living as refugees abroad.
The violence has continued to ravage parts of the country throughout 2023, causing massive damage to civilian infrastructure. This has compounded the widespread destruction decimating essential services across the country, particularly in the eastern regions, where people have endured almost a decade of conflict initiated by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
MOAS’ mission in Ukraine
MOAS’ fleet in Ukraine is composed of 50 ambulances equipped for different specialities having the specifications and capabilities to best respond to a variety of specific needs and contexts. The vehicles are equipped with medical and pharmaceutical supplies as well as state-of-the-art equipment, enabling our teams to deliver both basic and advanced life support, essential treatments, along with additional extensive medical procedures as required.
Moreover, through the use of our Mobile Medical Unit, MOAS provides Primary Health services to support local communities. The vehicle is seconded to MOAS by the RMHC House Charities Latvia for the duration of the mission in the country and is run in partnership with MHP Gromadi and the Oksana Dmytriieva Charitable Foundation.
Thanks to our highly skilled team of 150 doctors and paramedics, MOAS has already successfully treated roughly 38,000 people on the front line and over 25,000 patients in communities cut off from medical infrastructure.
Our team
On the frontlines, our team is always on the alert. Upon receiving a phone call informing them of the location of an incident, they immediately drive to the site and provide emergency care to patients in critical condition while taking them to the nearest hospital facility.
However, working in this kind of environment can be highly challenging for our team in Ukraine. Nataliia, one of our nurses, explains that it is hard to treat people whose war injuries, may change their lives forever. “I see all these young men who were planning their careers, all the work they wanted to do, their dreams of starting families, then without warning suddenly losing their health and even their lives. Some things will be lost for them forever or changed terribly.”
Our team lives in constant danger, working in a war zone. “The most difficult part of the work probably is when the shelling is close to us.”, says Vitalii who manages the team. “I remember specific moments when the shelling was very close, sometimes 300 or 500 metres from us. Our vehicles were also damaged by shelling several times.”
But the immense psychological weight and the danger that comes with the job are worth it. Saving lives is what matters most to each of them. “Every saved life is its own reward”, Nataliia explains. Her friend and fellow nurse Vita adds: “When everyone’s safe and happy and the work is done well, that’s the most emotional moment for me.”
MOAS’ Impact
MOAS plays a key role in caring for those injured and in critical condition. We treat the worst cases and evacuate the most injured soldiers. “We’ve taken so many patients to hospital who otherwise would have died–it’s almost every one of our cases because we take only the most critical. “, explains Vita. Thanks to our incredible team, MOAS has not lost a single patient in its care since it started its operation at the beginning of the war.
Final thoughts
Only with your support can we continue our life-saving work in Ukraine. By donating to MOAS, you can support our fantastic team, help us provide the essential medical care that is desperately needed by the population, and make a real difference to those who need it the most.
Give what you can now: https://www.moas.eu/donate-moas-ukraine-2/
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