The main purpose of this short trip is to transport urgent medications and medical supplies into Ukraine, particularly to the besieged areas, before all transportation routes are destroyed or closed. The 10 suitcases contained mostly water filtration straws, emergency blankets/sleeping bags, emergency trauma kits, and essential medications and medical supplies.
While our initial intention was not to provide medical relief for the refugees in Poland, we assumed, based on news reports, that there would already be solidarity and many international aid organizations present. However, this was not the case when our team arrived at Warsaw Central Train Station, one of the largest receiving sites for Ukrainian refugees. There was no medical doctor on site, and the medical tents were operated by Polish EMTs and volunteers. When they learned that we were two doctors from America, they immediately provided us with volunteer vests and sent us into the main medical tent to see patients.
Soon after, we were requested to go to a nearby refugee camp called Expo, which housed 7,000 to 10,000 refugees at the time. The number of refugees from Ukraine increased drastically from over 1 million to 3 million in less than a week, and at the time of this writing, Poland is hosting nearly 2 million refugees. At Expo, we quickly learned that the refugee camp administration had already established a volunteer-based in-house clinic. Poland has two main healthcare systems: public and private. Due to the rapidly increasing number of refugees, private clinics and hospitals stepped in to help. Many people in Warsaw selflessly volunteered to help the refugees outside of their regular working hours. By the time we left Warsaw, the systems were more organized. The Polish people's speedy efficiency amidst this chaos is commendable. Though we did not encounter many non-Polish international medical aid teams during our time at Expo, we saw many busloads of supplies such as shoes, clothing, and blankets in Warsaw. There is definitely solidarity in Poland, and we were deeply touched by the love, kindness, and support pouring in from all over the world. It was a blessing to witness this.
The second purpose of our trip was to collect as much information as possible to best offer our medical aid. We learned from people who had just come out of Ukraine, local Polish clinics and pharmacies, people inside Ukraine, and mission teams established in Ukraine even before the war. We were shocked and saddened to learn that not many large humanitarian aid and medical teams were able to successfully enter the deeper parts of Ukraine, leaving most of the country to fend for itself. We learned about experienced groups in war or disaster situations such as Direct Relief, MSF (Doctors Without Borders), and Samaritan's Purse, and had the chance to speak with some of their local teams over the phone. However, we also saw many international organizations that shipped supplies to Poland or the border city Lviv, due to a lack of means for distribution or an understanding of the true needs, resulting in supplies piling up in some corners. If you or your group would like information on urgently needed items or where to send them, please use the contact page to send a quick note. Specify if you would like a list of specific medications and medical supplies that are needed. Meanwhile, ABC will continue to fine-tune our efforts in the hopes of offering sustainable medical assistance, even for post-war rebuilding (let's pray this will be very soon).
The third purpose of our trip was to establish a base camp to continue providing medical aid and supplies. One concerning need is the management of severe PTSD, not only in adults but especially in children. During the few days working with the refugees, I saw many, if not all, children exhibiting signs and symptoms of acute stress disorder to various degrees. Many will go on to develop PTSD, especially since most of these children will no longer be able to grow up with the male figures in their lives (men between the ages of 18-60 are no longer allowed to leave Ukraine, so most of the refugees are women, children, and elderly people). There will be a large need for comprehensive and extensive counseling, psychotherapies, and even pharmacotherapy, not to mention treatment for permanent injuries sustained during the war. If you are in related fields and would like to join us for either immediate or long-term assistance, please use the contact page to reach out to us. ~Dr. Tao, March 2022
While our initial intention was not to provide medical relief for the refugees in Poland, we assumed, based on news reports, that there would already be solidarity and many international aid organizations present. However, this was not the case when our team arrived at Warsaw Central Train Station, one of the largest receiving sites for Ukrainian refugees. There was no medical doctor on site, and the medical tents were operated by Polish EMTs and volunteers. When they learned that we were two doctors from America, they immediately provided us with volunteer vests and sent us into the main medical tent to see patients.
Soon after, we were requested to go to a nearby refugee camp called Expo, which housed 7,000 to 10,000 refugees at the time. The number of refugees from Ukraine increased drastically from over 1 million to 3 million in less than a week, and at the time of this writing, Poland is hosting nearly 2 million refugees. At Expo, we quickly learned that the refugee camp administration had already established a volunteer-based in-house clinic. Poland has two main healthcare systems: public and private. Due to the rapidly increasing number of refugees, private clinics and hospitals stepped in to help. Many people in Warsaw selflessly volunteered to help the refugees outside of their regular working hours. By the time we left Warsaw, the systems were more organized. The Polish people's speedy efficiency amidst this chaos is commendable. Though we did not encounter many non-Polish international medical aid teams during our time at Expo, we saw many busloads of supplies such as shoes, clothing, and blankets in Warsaw. There is definitely solidarity in Poland, and we were deeply touched by the love, kindness, and support pouring in from all over the world. It was a blessing to witness this.
The second purpose of our trip was to collect as much information as possible to best offer our medical aid. We learned from people who had just come out of Ukraine, local Polish clinics and pharmacies, people inside Ukraine, and mission teams established in Ukraine even before the war. We were shocked and saddened to learn that not many large humanitarian aid and medical teams were able to successfully enter the deeper parts of Ukraine, leaving most of the country to fend for itself. We learned about experienced groups in war or disaster situations such as Direct Relief, MSF (Doctors Without Borders), and Samaritan's Purse, and had the chance to speak with some of their local teams over the phone. However, we also saw many international organizations that shipped supplies to Poland or the border city Lviv, due to a lack of means for distribution or an understanding of the true needs, resulting in supplies piling up in some corners. If you or your group would like information on urgently needed items or where to send them, please use the contact page to send a quick note. Specify if you would like a list of specific medications and medical supplies that are needed. Meanwhile, ABC will continue to fine-tune our efforts in the hopes of offering sustainable medical assistance, even for post-war rebuilding (let's pray this will be very soon).
The third purpose of our trip was to establish a base camp to continue providing medical aid and supplies. One concerning need is the management of severe PTSD, not only in adults but especially in children. During the few days working with the refugees, I saw many, if not all, children exhibiting signs and symptoms of acute stress disorder to various degrees. Many will go on to develop PTSD, especially since most of these children will no longer be able to grow up with the male figures in their lives (men between the ages of 18-60 are no longer allowed to leave Ukraine, so most of the refugees are women, children, and elderly people). There will be a large need for comprehensive and extensive counseling, psychotherapies, and even pharmacotherapy, not to mention treatment for permanent injuries sustained during the war. If you are in related fields and would like to join us for either immediate or long-term assistance, please use the contact page to reach out to us. ~Dr. Tao, March 2022