Mobile doctor brigades provided over 10,000 medical services in Ukraine’s distant villages in less than a year

In less than a year, Mobile Doctors visited dozens of settlements and provided more than 10,000 medical services to people from the villages of the Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions.

What is the problem?

Residents of the liberated and remote settlements do not have access to basic health care. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, due to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, 177 medical facilities were completely destroyed, and more than 1,400 were damaged.

There is also a lack of medical personnel since many specialists have left for other regions or abroad after the beginning of the war, so rural medical dispensaries remain empty. Transport logistics have not been restored in all liberated settlements, meaning that people cannot even go to the doctor in the district center.

Many residents became victims of violence by the occupiers, so in addition to proper medical care, they also require psychological support.

What is the solution?

A year ago, the project began with the idea of Ihor Zhukov, ​​a military doctor and head of the Ishtar clinic. The volunteers have a converted truck with a modern laboratory and ultrasound room, which they set at their own expense. On board this truck, the doctors set out on their first journey.

"The start of the project was the visit of volunteer doctors to the village of Moshchun, where more than 150 people received medical assistance. Even then, it was clear that this was the right decision because many people need professional examination. 7.8 million Ukrainians now need health care," noted Zhukov, co-founder of the project.

Over a year, the initiative grew into a real fleet of mobile clinics, currently the largest in Ukraine.Over a year, the initiative grew into a real fleet of mobile clinics, currently the largest in Ukraine.

Four trucks are the basis of the medical complex. Each semi-trailer consists of three offices arranged following sanitary norms and rules of the Ministry of Health. They have a system of air conditioning, ventilation, and heating so patients can comfortably receive medical services anytime. Each semi-trailer also has a diesel generator, a voltage stabilizer, a water heater, and a 400-liter water supply — this is enough for one day of autonomous operation.

The project is managed by the Fortitude UA charitable foundation, which, with the assistance of Ukrainian and foreign donors, such as Techiia Foundation and Leroy Merlin Solidarity, makes healthcare accessible for those who do not have access to it. To show people how it works, the mobile clinic made its last visit to one of Kyiv's parks to do check-ups for the children and parents coming from Mariupol. During the day, doctors checked 76 children and 20 parents and prescribed treatment if necessary.

How does it work?

Converted trucks go to liberated settlements or remote communities for several days to receive patients. The nearest village to the border, the doctors visited, is only 12 kilometers from Belarus.

The list of doctors is formed at the community's request. Usually, there is a family doctor, a cardiologist, a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a dermatologist, an ophthalmologist, a neurologist, a psychotherapist, an ultrasound specialist, nurses, and a laboratory technician on board.

Patients who come for an appointment register a medical card, visit doctors, and pass the necessary tests. In most cases, the results can be obtained almost immediately, so at the end of the examination, doctors give recommendations and prescribe medicines that can be obtained for free. If patients are diagnosed with severe ailments, doctors contact their colleagues in the capital and refer people for treatment.

"We had patients who hadn't visited a gynecologist for 15 years, but fortunately, our doctors could detect problems and send them for urgent treatment," Andriy Zapitetskyi, director of the Fortitude UA charity fund, told Rubryka. "On one of our trips, a ten-year-old girl came running to us on a bicycle and asked for someone to check on her mother since she could not come to the appointment herself. As a result, our doctor came to a woman with stage four cancer, who knew her diagnosis but did not explain anything to the child. So it is very good that we always have a psychotherapist with us, and we noticed that every time the number of their patients increases."

Does it really work?

In less than a year, doctors visited dozens of settlements and provided more than 10,000 medical services to people from the villages of Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions. Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions are planned.

"Результати наших виїздів завжди мотивують приїжджати ще і ще. Щоразу здається, що нас уже нічого не здивує, але наші лікарі стикаються з такими випадками, коли на 100% стає зрозуміло для чого ми це робимо", – розповів директор благодійного фонду Fortitude UA Андрій Запітецький.

"The results of our trips always motivate us to come repeatedly. Every time, it seems that nothing surprises us anymore, but our doctors come across such cases when it becomes 100% clear why we are doing it," said Zapitetskyi.

We will remind that beauty industry workers organized a real mobile barbershop for Ukrainian soldiers in the Zaporizhzhia area.

In addition, as Rubryka reported, the Dentists' Battalion, which was launched by six dentists from Vinnytsia, provides assistance to defenders on the front lines.

Vitalii Koloshits, a pizzaiolo from the Ternopil region, launched the Military Chef project. He cooks pizza on mobile equipment for the Ukrainian military, who protect Ukrainians on the front lines.