Amid diplomatic flurry, Ukrainian hospital treating war-wounded yearns for peace
A Ukrainian serviceman and patient of the Mechnykov Hospital, who was wounded during fighting against Russian forces, prepares for being transferred, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Oleh, a Ukrainian serviceman, wounded during fighting with Russian forces, and patient of the Mechnykov Hospital, prepares for being transferred, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Viktor Cherniy, 52, and Vitalii Yunatskyi, 40, service members, wounded during fighting with Russian forces, and patients of the Mechnykov Hospital talk in an intensive care unit, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
DNIPRO, Ukraine - As a flurry of diplomacy begins in Turkey, Serhii Ryzhenko and his team of Ukrainian medics are yearning for a peace deal after seeing far too many patients with life-threatening injuries pass through their hospital.
The 61-year-old hopes the hospital he runs in Dnipro, little more than 100 km (60 miles) from the eastern front line in Russia's war against Ukraine, will soon be treating routine complaints from a population at peace in eastern Ukraine.
"Today, combat trauma, unfortunately, has become routine for us and ... it does not allow us to completely provide assistance to ordinary residents of Dnipro and other cities," Ryzhenko told Reuters on a ward at the hospital, one of Ukraine's largest with some of the nation's most experienced specialists.
"Tens of thousands of people have passed through our doors alone. I am afraid to give a figure, but the number is of an average Ukrainian city - up to 50,000."
U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing Ukraine and Russia to move towards a peace settlement to end a war triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022, wanting the two sides to sign up to a 30-day ceasefire.
But on Thursday, plans to stage the first face-to-face talks since 2019 between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin were downgraded after Moscow said it was sending officials rather than the Kremlin leader.
"We all believe in the end of the war. We all want there to be no wounded soldiers, and especially civilians. Many of them are suffering greatly," said Ryzhenko, whose hospital has been at the forefront of the war since 2014 when separatists backed by Russian paramilitaries seized towns in the eastern Donbas region.
"There are already enough human lives that, unfortunately, were lost due to artillery, air bombs and missiles."
In the corridors of Mechnykov hospital, wounded soldiers are rushed to emergency rooms. Others lie in wards, some with amputated legs, other wrapped in bandages, all hooked up to heart monitors and drips.
"I wish there is this ceasefire soon," Viktor Cherniy, a 52-year-old serviceman, said from his hospital bed. "So many casualties among civilians and the military, brothers-in-arms."
It is a sentiment shared by Vitalii Yunatskyi, 40, who has lost part of his leg. "I wish for all of it to end as soon as possible," he said.
For Ryzhenko, the never-ending procession of wounded soldiers from the frontline means that ordinary people are squeezed out of a stretched healthcare system, something he hopes can be changed with a peace deal.
"And I want our president, and he has been here several times, to lead our country to peace," he said, his face etched with tiredness. "We believe in him, we want to treat our civilian residents today, do everything possible so that they survive and receive medical care at a high level." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
US NIH director hopes administration will settle with universities over suspended grants
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the NIH, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura WASHINGTON - National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya told a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday he was hopeful that President Donald Trump's administration would reach a settlement with universities that have had research grants suspended. "I'm very hopeful that a resolution being made with the universities where those decisions have been made, where those grants have been paused," Bhattacharya said while appearing at a hearing of the Senate Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the NIH's 2026 budget request. Dozens of scientists, researchers and other employees at the NIH issued a rare public rebuke on Monday ahead of the hearing, criticizing the Trump administration for major spending cuts that "harm the health of Americans and people across the globe," politicize research and "waste public resources." The NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling about $9.5 billion and an additional $2.6 billion in contracts since Trump took office Jan. 20, they said in the letter. The contracts often support research, from covering equipment to nursing staff working on clinical trials. The White House wants to reduce U.S. health spending by more than a quarter next year, with the NIH facing the brunt with a cut of $18 billion, or 40%, from this year's budget, leaving it with $27 billion. The Trump administration wants to cut funding altogether for four of the agency's 27 institutes and centers while consolidating others into five new ones. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Vaccine actions and policy positions under US Health Secretary Kennedy
FILE PHOTO: Moderna logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Vaccine actions and policy positions under US Health Secretary Kennedy U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic, has been making sweeping changes to reshape U.S. regulation of vaccines, food and medicine. The most far-reaching of his moves culminated in the layoff of all 17 members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts. Here are some of the policy moves under Kennedy's leadership in recent months, related to vaccines: FDA Recommendations for Influenza Vaccines Date of Announcement: March 13, 2025 Details: The FDA independently recommends virus strains for the 2025-2026 influenza vaccines, deviating from traditional advisory committee voting. This move assures no impact on the timing or availability of vaccines for the public. Environmental Toxin Studies Related to Autism Date of Announcement: April 16, 2025 Details: Kennedy plans studies on environmental contributors to autism, including vaccines, despite lacking scientific evidence. This approach aligns with his longstanding views on vaccines and environmental factors. Launch of US Autism Project Using Medicare and Medicaid Data Date of Announcement: May 7, 2025 Details: Federal agencies will create a database to research autism causes, focusing on Medicare and Medicaid data, as part of a broader effort to explore potential links between vaccines and autism. FDA Tightens Requirements for COVID Vaccine Date of Announcement: May 20, 2025 Details: The FDA plans new trials for annual COVID-19 boosters, limiting them to older adults and those at risk of severe illness. This change aligns with international perspectives on COVID vaccination strategies. US Drops COVID Vaccine Recommendation for Healthy Kids, Pregnant Women Date of Announcement: May 27, 2025 Details: The U.S. stops recommending routine COVID vaccinations for pregnant women and healthy children, bypassing the CDC's traditional advisory process. Cancellation of Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine Contract Date of Announcement: May 28, 2025 Details: The Trump administration cancels a contract with Moderna for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine, after determining it did not meet scientific standards. Moderna explores alternatives for its vaccine's development. Kennedy Guts Vaccine Advisory Committee Date of Announcement: June 9, 2025 Details: Kennedy fires all members of the CDC vaccine expert panel, which recommends how vaccines are used and by whom, promising to restore public trust in health agencies. Scientists and experts say the changes would undermine public confidence in health agencies. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Australia's Monash IVF reports second embryo incident in two months
Australia's Monash IVF reports second embryo incident in two months Australian fertility group Monash IVF on Tuesday reported a new incident related to an embryo transfer, within a couple of months after reporting a similar case where a doctor accidentally implanted the wrong embryo. The latest incident, which occurred on June 5 at the company's Clayton laboratory, has been reported to regulatory bodies and the company's insurer, Monash said, issuing an apology to the impacted couple. The company is also conducting an internal investigation. The firm added that it is implementing additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future. The clinic owner in April reported a similar incident where an Australian woman gave birth to a stranger's baby due to a Monash fertility doctor's error. Shares of Monash are down about 31% since the news. The mix-up has drawn attention to an industry that was largely self-regulated until recently and raised concerns about security protocols at IVF clinics. The facilities are regulated by a mix of Australian industry bodies and state government agencies. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
