Countess of Chester Hospital nurse travels out to Ukraine with medical aid charity UK-Med

A Countess of Chester Hospital nurse, Lorraine Lloyd, has travelled out to Ukraine with frontline medical aid charity UK-Med, as it finalises plans to set up a static and mobile health clinic in Drohobych, one hour south of Lviv.

Lorraine will join UK-Med’s existing team of nine who are already working across the country. 

Clutton resident, Lorraine, who has more than 40 years’ nursing experience, is being deployed for six weeks. ‘I received the call with a mixture of trepidation and gratitude for being able to help,’ she said. ‘My other half and friends and family are nothing but encouraging and proud.’

The health clinic, to be set up in partnership with the Greek Catholic charity, Caritas Ukraine will care for the 15,000 internationally displaced people – mainly women, children and the elderly – who have taken up shelter in this city of around 75,000 people, situated in Western Ukraine. For many of the thousands fleeing from the east it has become a major stop off point on the way to the border, while others are remaining there permanently. The UNHCR reports that there are now 6.5 million displaced people spread across the country.

In Drohobych, fifteen schools have been converted into temporary accommodation. Currently there are good supplies of water and food, but with multiple families sharing what were once classrooms, the likelihood of infections spreading is high.

Dr Freda Newlands, an Emergency Medicine Doctor from Dumfries and Galloway has been in Ukraine with UK-Med for over a week: ‘Imagine overcrowded dormitories, poor sanitation, no hygiene facilities and lack of laundry facilities. This is the perfect recipe for the potential spread of infection, so we hope to be able to provide primary care for them. There will be a need for the treatment of children with the usual childhood infections, ante-natal care, monitoring of chronic diseases and treatment of acute illness. UK-Med has the skilled experienced clinicians to deliver this care but we need to raise more funds to help us achieve this.’      

Local authorities and healthcare providers in Drohobych have identified a need to provide primary health and general surgical care to this new and ever-growing community. This will include paediatric, maternal and geriatric care and infection control.

This is the second time that Lorraine has worked with UK-Med, having spent three weeks ‘out of her comfort zone’ supporting the Malawi’s response to COVID-19, on behalf of the government’s UK Emergency Medical Team. ‘I signed up to UK-Med because I was passionate about getting involved in humanitarian work. The situation in Ukraine is severe, so it’s fabulous to be able to go over and just try to help out as much as we can.’

Leading the UK-Med team is Mr Andrew Moore, a senior leader with extensive overseas humanitarian programme management and military experience from the South West. UK-Med CEO David Wightwick, who is also in Ukraine supporting the assessment team said: ‘We’re proud to deliver primary health care to the desperate women, children and elderly fleeing their homes in the East, but who are still in the country.  

‘As the conflict continues, many more people will be flooding across Ukraine from war zones. It’s essential we continue our health needs assessments in the West and Central areas. UK-Med is committed to delivering healthcare to the people who have either been injured in the conflict or who are simply not well enough or have the means to make the journey across the borders.’

Born of the NHS in 1988, UK-Med saves lives in emergencies.  When health systems are overwhelmed, it gets expert health teams to where they’re needed fast and helps communities prepare for future health crises. Drawing from an accredited register of nearly 1000 highly trained UK and international doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals, over the past two years UK-Med has responded to 22 requests for help in 21 countries across the world, including Lebanon, Myanmar and Yemen. Money to help UK-Med’s vital lifesaving work can be donated direct at:

www.uk-med.org.

Pictured - Countess of Chester Hospital nurse, Lorraine Lloyd, on arrival in Drohobych.