Roshko had not been to Okhtyrka since the first days of the invasion, had not seen the first victims of missile attacks. He had only heard from his colleagues how they lived in the hospital during March 2022, because people injured by shelling were constantly arriving. He saw Okhtyrka later as a rather badly destroyed city, where the wailing of sirens and explosions had become a terrifying everyday occurrence. Despite all the trials, Mykola comes to work every day inspired, because only there does he feel that he is doing what he has to.

“I worry less in the hospital, I don’t have time to monitor air alarms, because I have to operate, consult, help people regain their sight. They thank me. Once a patient even kissed my hands as a gratitude, but I feel very embarrassed at these moments, because I think I haven’t done anything extraordinary. It’s just my job. And I also came to understand that often for my patients, problems with the sight are not the biggest problems in their lives. For example, I remember one woman, she came to me for a consultation, and I said that she had cataracts, but we can cure them. The woman started crying a lot, then I got confused and didn’t know what to do. Later she told me that her son had been in captivity in Russia for many months. Such situations teach me to be more sensitive, especially to choose the right words when announcing the diagnosis and to be supportive of patients, even just by listening,” says the surgeon.

Stress is enormous not only among patients, but also among doctors in Ukraine. Due to the war, every third  emotional exhaustion. This tension is especially felt by those doctors who are in frontline hospitals, where there are fewer workers than in other regions of Ukraine. That is why their comprehensive support is as important as the support of patients.

‍

“Recently, our hospital underwent psychological training from the humanitarian agency ZDOROVI and IRC. I was able to learn useful methods of restoring strength. In general, these two organizations are good partners of the Okhtyrsk hospital. And having such support is very important for medical workers now. ZDOROVI and IRC also invited me to take a course in eye microsurgery and learn how to work with a new microscope that they purchased as part of this initiative. When I have enough opportunities to help patients, and I feel that we are not alone in this remote hospital in a small town, so close to a harsh war, I feel the strength to continue to fulfill my duty and save patients.  Because by saving them, I feel that I fulfill my personal and professional mission.  I am where I have to be,” shares eye surgeon Mykola Roshko.

‍