In a country at war, carrying the wounded and sick away from battlefields is a complex and dangerous exercise. Ukraine’s railway network, which has endured horrific wars, is proving to be an important tool for a humanitarian organization.
10:45 am, Monday morning. A train stops at the station in Lviv. Workers from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) rushed to load medical equipment and water bottles. They only have a few minutes.
This train will soon leave on a three-day mission and will transport about 20 sick and injured people from eastern Ukraine to the west, where hospitals are less overwhelmed.
Once at the destination, which is kept secret for security reasons, it will be necessary to act quickly to admit patients and their relatives, explains Dr Jean-Clément Cabrol, of MSF. It is in tense areas. We try to go fast, but we are organized.
The same operation, by road, with ambulances, would be almost impossible due to the distance covered.
This is the second mission of the MSF hospital train. Patients are expected to arrive at Lviv hospital on Wednesday.
” Last week, on the first trip, it was just injuries. Three families were caught in the Mariupol bombings, families were damaged, with some deaths. “
Inside, everything is designed to accommodate patients. Employees of the Ukrainian railway network made the changes.
The beds of this former night train became hospital beds. Coat hooks are used for hanging IV bags. A generator at the end of the wagon guarantees the power supply.
Unfortunately, the train is not equipped to accommodate the most severe cases. Last week, there was a child we couldn’t carry. He was in septic shock and too unstable to ride the 24 -hour train ride.explained Dr. Cabrol.
Another train will soon be equipped with special equipment to transport the most severe cases, patients in critical condition.
There are heartbreaking moments, but others, touching. Karen Desmidt remembers the reunion of a boy and his mother, after a long stay in a pediatric hospital. It is good for the heartsummarizes the humanitarian worker.
But these memories make us almost never forget the dangers of adventure near battle zones, even in the shelter of an iron juggernaut.
Natsya, a 23-year-old nurse from Ukraine, is well aware of the dangers, but she will still make the journey. I want to help my countryhe told us on the boarding platform.
” I know it can be dangerous, but it is very important to help our citizens. “
As expected, a few minutes later, the train whistle was heard. Slowly the train stops away from the station.
The locomotive is moving forward, impressive and undisturbed, as is the stability of the Ukrainians.
Source: Radio-Canada