FEATURE/Dodging bullets to saving lives: Ukrainian doctors bring medical resilience to Taiwan

By Sunny Lai, CNA staff reporter

Seated comfortably in a classroom at a Taipei hospital one September morning, Ukrainian doctor Daria Solianyk, dressed in scrubs, vividly recalled the harrowing day she got caught in a shoot-out on her way home, after her shift at a hospital in the frontline city of Mykolaiv in February 2022.

"I didn't have time to feel scared," the 28-year-old intensivist and anesthesiologist told CNA, explaining that she immediately ran back to the hospital to see if she could do anything to help the injured.

The shooting -- which happened the same day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 -- had been started by Russian armed forces who were less than 1 kilometer from the hospital.

Solianyk and five other doctors with different specialties and war-time experiences from the eastern European country arrived in Taipei in early September for a four-week clinical exchange program at MacKay Memorial Hospital. The course is the first of its kind in Taiwan since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Taiwan-Ukraine exchange

The six-member team took courses including Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and received training from McKay's medical professionals, which all the team members said were valuable.

"I learned and heard some advice and practical tips," Solianyk said, adding that she plans to share what she learned with her colleagues back in Ukraine.

She added that learning about several of MacKay's clinical approaches, including the prolonged use of the prone position, which helps patients with severe respiratory distress syndrome wean off ventilators sooner, was especially useful.

Echoing Solianyk, trauma and orthopedic surgeon Serhii Shpak noted that Ukrainian doctors could learn from post-surgery care practices in Taiwan.

Taiwanese doctors regularly allow patients to handle tasks like wound dressing at home and have them return to the hospital for follow-up visits after a set period, Shpak said.

The approach contrasts with the practice in Ukraine, where patients typically remain in the hospital until they have fully recovered, said the 28-year-old doctor who previously spent nine months working at a military hospital.

"In Ukraine, we (patients) spend much more time in a hospital," he said. "That's why we need bigger hospitals... We can improve this (practice) in Ukraine."

Give and take

The doctors from the war-torn country said they spoke with their Taiwanese counterparts about how they often have to deal with "extreme circumstances" when treating patients.

Shpak said they adopt a "use what we have" principle when treating trauma or war-related injuries.

Challenging situations in Ukrainian hospitals exist due to the "imbalance between resources and number of patients," Solianyk explained.

She added that the Ukrainian doctors also went into detail about how they deal with challenges brought by the war to the Ukrainian healthcare system with their Taiwanese colleagues.

However, she told CNA that the team could not disclose specific details of the "alternative treatments" used in Ukraine to the media due to security considerations.

Lessons from war

More than two and a half years after the Kremlin's full-scale invasion began, Solianyk said Ukrainian doctors still face major challenges brought on by the war, including shortages of water, electricity and medical personnel.

"In Mykolaiv, we didn't have water supply due to bombing," Solianyk recalled, adding that staff were forced to drill a well at the frontline hospital.

She was even forced to go outside during a blackout to switch on an emergency generator so the intensive care unit could keep running, she said.

"Every moment you have to prepare that you could lose your life," said Solianyk, who was in Mykolaiv when the southern Ukrainian city came under heavy attack during Russia's offensive in March 2022.

Ukrainian forces successfully defended the strategically important city and Russian soldiers were forced to withdraw the next month.

Solianyk also noted that the shortage of medical professionals has been exacerbated because many medical staff have left the country due to safety concerns. Meanwhile, the number of patients has skyrocketed.

Day off?

The shortage of human resources is a significant factor leading to long working hours for medical professionals on the frontline.

Solianyk's shifts in Mykolaiv often lasted between 36 to 48 hours, while Shpak once went three months without a single day off when he was posted at a military hospital.

After work at the military hospital, Shpak said, he would "go home to sleep, and that's all." He added that he sometimes missed playing computer games, which had always helped him unwind.

Solianyk said she would sometimes return to the hospital on her days off because she knew some of her colleagues were experiencing psychological stress, and she wanted to support them.

She told CNA that she has practiced Aikido her whole life to prevent burnout and that even while working in Mykolaiv, she tried to find time for the Japanese martial art in a bid to achieve "internal harmony."

Future exchange

Tsai Wei-de (蔡維德), director of the MacKay Memorial Hospital's International Medical Service Center, said the performance and professionalism of the six Ukrainian doctors during the exchange program exceeded his expectations.

One example, Tsai noted, was the high-level ACLS course, which required pre-course assignments, including watching at least four hours of online videos and reviewing over 200 pages of material.

"It was a really tough course... but they completed all the assignments... and their exam scores were very high," Tsai said, adding that it demonstrated the team's excellent attitude.

Tsai, who has led three medical missions composed of MacKay medical staff to Ukraine and is preparing to lead a fourth, observed that Ukrainians continue to work hard and live their lives despite the war.

"With the six doctors who came this time, I once again felt their resilience and positive mindset, which is something we in Taiwan should learn from," he noted.

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