Video shows humanitarian Ukraine's work - treating hurt kids and training medics

2024-10-01 682

Video shows an award-winning humanitarian's work in Ukraine - including helping wounded kids and training medics inside bunkers.

Professor Mark Hannaford co-founded Medics4Ukraine in 2022 alongside paramedic Luca Alfatti.

He has now released video of his work there - training medics and providing aid.

Mark, of Beer, Devon, and his team delivers medical aid, as well as providing training in medical trauma to front-line soldiers and medical professionals.

Pictures taken throughout Mark's time in Ukraine show him visiting wounded soldiers in hospitals, training medics inside underground bunkers to avoid attack, and teaching CPR to those on the frontlines.

Others show members of the organisation assisting wounded children, handing out medical supplies, and travelling cities in ambulances while wearing bulletproof vests.

Mark has now been awarded a medal by the head of military commission in Lviv for his efforts to support and train local medical professionals in the country.

Medics4Ukraine has so far provided over £3m of medical aid, and trained over 800 medical professionals.

"It was a visceral reaction, really, to the unfairness," Mark said, describing the motivation to create the organisation.

"We've been used to peace in Europe and development and prosperity for so long.

"To have an aggressive invasion like this, which really changes the whole face of Europe, just seemed to be completely unreasonable and unfair - the amount of death, and the millions of refugees they're creating.

"We deliver trauma supplies to hospitals, units, and to clinics, but we also train large groups of people in Ukraine.

"Then we take suppliers with us for that training so that the students walk away with trauma suppliers and first aid kits and stuff like that.

"We originally thought we'd be going for six months, and our aim was to raise £100,000 - but two and a half years later, we're on about £3.4 million.

"We've trained around 900 people with programmes that are looking to train even bigger numbers.''

Mark described scenes at a maternity hospital attacked by Russian forces, and the resilience of the Ukrainian medics and teams supporting them.