SPOTLIGHT ON…
LORRAINE LLOYD
Lorraine Lloyd, Advanced Clinical Practitioner, spent six weeks in Ukraine earlier this year, from 23 March to 4 May working with humanitarian charity UK-Med to provide medical care to local people forced to leave their homes by the Russian invasion. Lorraine was based an hour outside Lviv in a small western Ukraine town called Drohobych, working with a small team including a consultant, paramedic and GP. What were you doing in Ukraine and how did it come about? I’ve done quite a bit of work with UK-Med before, having not long returned from working in Malawi before the emergency deployment to Ukraine. We were the first clinical team to reach Drohobych, which was estimated to have 15,000 to 20,000 additional displaced people. We were there to provide
medical care for anyone who needed it by hosting mobile clinics. What was it like being in Ukraine at that time? There was some trepidation, but we were well briefed with security information beforehand. Arriving in Ukraine and experiencing the camps was a bit like a festival with people passing from each direction, with huge queues of cars and people trying to reach the border with Poland. There was a huge number of organisations giving out supplies, while there was lots of media attention. When we got to Drohobych there were roadblocks and a military presence, but it didn’t feel hostile in any way. There was a curfew of 8pm and nobody was allowed to travel anywhere on their own. Food was delivered to our accommodation so we could stay in our building whenever
“WE MET LOTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN THAT HAD FLED THEIR HOMES. LISTENING TO SOME OF THEIR STORIES WAS JUST HEARTBREAKING.”
we weren’t at a clinic. You’d just have to wait for the air raid siren to start and then wait for the all-clear. There was one time sirens went off during the clinic but the school we were based at had a bomb shelter we could use. What was it like going into a bomb shelter and what was it like meeting people who had left their homes? We were very much guided by what the general public were doing so when they headed for shelter, so did we. I remember it being very dark and cold, but we were able to continue our clinic while we waited. We met lots of women and children that had fled their homes. Listening to some of their stories was just heartbreaking. There were lots of hugs, some tears and cups of coffee. But this was all only possible because of the brilliant translators we had with us. It was really sad leaving at the end of the six weeks because we had such a great team. I feel privileged to go there. It was extremely humbling, but we did our small part to help.
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