The doctor who is fighting for the health of women on the front line of Ukraine

In a rural village near the Ukrainian front line, a group of women’s tail quietly in front of a purple and white ambulance, waiting to be seen by a doctor with his shaved head painted in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

For many of them, this is their first time to see a doctor, as the war began more than three years ago.

Since 2022, D. Sergiy Baksheev, 53 -year -old, has performed more than 1000 gynecological examinations of women throughout the line and occupied areas in his mobile clinic -called the “female shuttle” and complete with a bright pink exam chair.

“This is a humanitarian volunteer mission. This is for people who need help, in places where there are no doctors or hospitals, and it’s absolutely free,” he says.

The war with Russia has put up a lot of tension on the health system of Ukraine, with over 1940 attacks against health establishments after the invasion, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – which makes it the largest number in any humanitarian crisis so far – with a significant increase in these attacks from December 2023.

When the war began, Dr. Baksheev, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist, initially spent his days in a bunker in Kiev, helping to deliver babies as the bombs fell above.

The idea for the road clinic came to him, he says, after later medical volunteer missions on the front line revealed the lack of facilities as medical centers and hospitals were completely destroyed.

“We went to Harkiv and Chernikhiv, who were very damaged and the most difficult was not to provide gynecological services because there were no tools and equipment because everything was ruined,” he says.

Dr. Baksheev and his team will need to use everything that is available as an exam table, including old sofas, which means you will have to kneel on the floor to take the exams.

Today, by touring the electric vehicle, it is clear that D -R Baksheev is incredibly proud of his capabilities: he was equipped with everything he and his team may need in these remote areas, including an ultrasound machine and medical equipment to perform small surgery.

During a two-day mission, the team can perform up to 80 colposcopy-where they examine the cervix and the vulva for signs of cancer or precancerous tissue.

The work is crucial to people living in these remote areas.

His visits to small village villages, occupied by the Russians, are often made secretly. He and his team are inserted for a day or two to take their exams and leave before they are found.

The numbers provided by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine are monitored by the percentage of BBC detection for ovarian and cervical cancer respectively decreased by 17% and 10% after 2020.

And when doctors like Dr. Baksheev enter these areas for examinations, they find higher than the average frequency of malignant tumors.

Up to 4% of all women have been diagnosed with malignant tumors after being examined, according to Frida Ukraine, Medical Organization Dr. Baksheev Volunteers for.

Dr. Ulana Supran was the health minister of Ukraine from 2016 to 2019. She says she has concerns about the “bombing bomb” of health results when the war is dragged.

“There is definitely a lot of concern about the public health community as to what will happen as the war goes on,” she says.

“Not only in terms of physical health, but also mental health – because there is constant stress, a constant psychological trauma is happening.”

Supon says the government has managed to partially or completely restore 964 medical establishments that have been damaged by Russia.

“They are working closely with the WHO and other international organizations to try to come up with a plan on how we can restore the healthcare system that was in force before Russia invaded,” she adds.

Despite the diagnosis of cancer in September 2024, Dr. Baksheev continues to participate voluntarily and provide treatment for women across the country.

“In addition to the medical examination, you also hear them because many patients have stories about how the Russians attacked their villages,” he says.

“So we are not just doctors, we are the therapists for these patients.”