On February 16, 2023, the Kyiv Regional Council hosted a roundtable discussion on the care and social rehabilitation of people with amputated limbs. The event was co-organized by the Ukrainian Medical Mission NGO and the Israel Medical Mission Charitable Foundation.

The main goal of the event was to exchange experience between foreign rehabilitation specialists and Ukrainian doctors on the rehabilitation and socialization of military personnel who have suffered limb injuries. Participants noted that the challenge for Ukrainian medicine today is the large number of wounded. As a result, there is a catastrophic shortage of rehabilitation centers and rehabilitation specialists in Ukraine.

Representatives of UK charities and medical institutions shared their experience and best practices in working with victims of war trauma (traumatic amputation and limb disorders):

Alex Lewis is the head of the FLOAT Ukraine team in the UK;
Jeff Watson is an intensive care specialist;
Alex Crick is a plastic surgeon;
Mat Hughes – prosthetist;
Rosemary Court, representing the Alex Lewis Trust, with the support of Nicholas Mellor from the Life Sciences Network;
British specialists are ready to work closely with Ukrainian doctors to study the needs and implement the wishes of people with disabilities.

The psychological rehabilitation of victims of the military conflict was discussed as a separate topic. It should be aimed at expanding the psychological capabilities of another person in his or her personal and social functioning, preserving or restoring physical and mental health in order to achieve social and psychological well-being. It was recognized that it is thanks to the support of partners, philanthropists and international institutions, among others, that Ukraine’s capacity to care for and support people with amputated limbs is being built, and the path to providing care and social rehabilitation assistance to Ukrainian military is being accelerated.

Other partners of the event were: Kyiv Regional Council, Ukrainian Medical Mission, Charitable Organization “Ukraine in the Palms”, Charitable Foundation “Golda Meir Institute for Civil Society Development”, Alex Levis Trust.

The event was attended by Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Council Tetiana Semenova, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration Vitalii Vlasiuk, Acting Director of the Health Department of the Kyiv Regional State Administration Vasyl Kravchenko, Head of the Standing Committee of the Corporations on Health, Maternity, Childhood, Social Protection and Pensioners Maria Kyseliova, Director General of the Kyiv Regional Hospital Ihor Kuchma, Acting Director General of the Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center Tetiana Ponomarenko.

We are grateful to the Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Council Tetiana Semenova for her interest in the issue, holding the round table and hospitality.

February 16, 2023