Ukraine

Program focus: Emergent high-acuity care, surgical mentoring, peer-to-peer training, clinical consults

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the humanitarian crisis and toll on human life grow daily. Hundreds of attacks on healthcare facilities have resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and millions of people who need care. Airstrikes have leveled many hospitals, and those still standing are not equipped to take on the magnitude of patients.

World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) quickly mobilized to provide care for patients in critical condition. Our program trains Ukrainian surgeons on complex combat trauma injuries and provides specialty medical care for those in need. It builds the skills of Ukrainian surgeons and lessens the burden on local health systems.

The program launched in March 2022 with the arrival of eight telehealth devices in Eastern Europe. Ten more devices were shipped that summer to support additional hospitals chosen by the Ministry of Health. In April, a team of trauma surgeons traveled to Poland to train a group of Ukrainian surgeons.

After receiving the intensive in-person training, the Ukrainian physicians returned to their home hospitals. The relationships built between physicians during the training course will continue through their telehealth sessions. Many WTI volunteer trauma surgeons and other medical specialists will be on call for 24-hour rotations to support the Ukrainian physicians and provide patient care.

Ukraine and surrounding areas will take years to heal from this tragic conflict. WTI’s program will serve Eastern Europe for the long term.