For 8,000 patients – Five doctors hold out in the disputed town of Bachmut

Date:

According to Ukrainian authorities, five doctors remained in the disputed city of Bakhmut. They take care of a total of 8000 people. One of the doctors is Elena Molchanova, 40, who says she can’t let people down, although she doesn’t understand why some of them haven’t fled yet.

“When I enrolled in medical school, I took the Hippocratic Oath, and I cannot fail these people. They come here for medical care and we do what we can,” she told AFP. The corridors of the practice are no longer lit, a small wood stove provides some warmth. Still, the doctor wears a hat and down jackets. large window behind her desk snow can be seen.

Too little medication
“The rule is: first come, first served,” says Moltchanova. There are not enough insulin syringes and hypodermic needles, the supply of heart medication was depleted “very quickly”. “There is enough paracetamol, but that does not cure the patient,” says the doctor. Many of the people staying in Bachmut and Soledar are old or have a disability. Medicines and equipment for diseases such as diabetes and mental illness are only sporadically available. It depends on what comes from the Ministry of Health and aid agencies or what can be extracted from bombed-out buildings. Recently, the armed forces brought two wheelchairs.

Warm up in the cellar
The city in the Donetsk region, which once had a population of 70,000, now has only about 8,000. Many of them would not even come to the practice for medical treatment, but just want to warm up. Together with her husband and two other doctors, Moltschanova offers a basement next to the health center so she can escape the cold for a while. In addition, thanks to a generator, people can charge their phones and use an internet connection. The doctor also fills out death certificates several times a day.

“As long as they’re here, I’ll be here,” the doctor assures, though she can’t understand why some people haven’t fled yet, especially families with children. Bakhmut in the Donetsk region has been at the center of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for months. Time and time again, grenades hit, among other things.

Source: Krone

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Near Sevastopol – Russian military plane crashes into the sea burning

According to the local governor, a Russian military plane...

Stricter controls – police warn of busy Easter travel weekend

There will be many day trippers and holidaymakers in...

Billionaire fraud – 25 years in prison for ex-crypto king Bankman-Fried

The founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX has...