Probably everyone has read in the news about the border town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, 5 kilometers from the border with russia. The settlement survived the russian occupation at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and after the de-occupation, it suffers from enemy shelling almost daily. And in these conditions, people continue to live there, and local doctors provide assistance to civilians and the military.

As part of the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support"*, the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya handed over a large shipment of medicines and supplies to the Vovchansk Central District Hospital. The relevant list was received directly from the hospital, so the contents of the humanitarian aid exactly meet the current needs of Vovchansk doctors.

The Vovchansk Central District Hospital serves up to 45,000 people – residents of the Vovchansk city and Starosaltiv village communities. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the hospital’s staff has been reduced from 340 to 152 employees, including 82 to 23 doctors. In 2021, the medical facility treated almost 4,000 people as inpatients, and provided outpatient care to more than 114,000 patients. However, due to the mass evacuation of people outside the combat zone and constant air and artillery shelling, the volume of medical care in the area was significantly reduced in 2022-2023. But despite the difficulties, the hospital staff continues to fulfill its professional and public duty in good faith.

* As a reminder, the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" is implementing the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support" with the support of "terre des hommes Deutschland e.V." and funding from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.