A new hospital, deep beneath the surface, is being built to provide life-saving surgery closer to the front line.
The war in Ukraine has changed. With drones and precision weapons posing an ever-growing threat, medics, stabilisation points and above-ground hospitals are increasingly vulnerable. A single strike can bring medical care at a location to a complete halt.
At the direct request of Ukraine’s military medical service, a new hospital is being built entirely underground, deep beneath the surface and reinforced with concrete.
It will feature multiple operating theatres, allowing several surgical teams to work safely, even during attacks.
By bringing surgery closer to the front line, critically wounded soldiers can receive urgent treatment without losing precious time travelling tens or even hundreds of kilometres.
The hospital will also ease the pressure on medical facilities further from the front.
‘When the air-raid sirens sound, the doctors keep operating. ‘We simply cannot leave our patients alone.’ they say. “That’s why underground operating theatres are such a vital solution.’
– Frederiek Roukens Medical trainee and volunteer at a military hospital in Ukraine