Oles Dovgiy: Rehabilitation of soldiers, men and women defenders is a direction where there is always more needs to be done

There is a tradition in the world to determine the "word of the year" - the most popular and significant words and expressions for the society. If such an expert choice were made in military medicine now, then in 2023 this word would be rehabilitation. Crippled fighters, children, adults - these are the realities of Ukraine today. Doctors are doing wonders, trying to restore people's health as much as possible, high-tech specialized medical centers are being opened in the rear, but this is only the beginning of solving the problem.

According to Oles Dovgiy, the encourager of the "RehabiCenter" initiative, while creating the newest rehabilitation centers, it is necessary to rapidly update or create stationary rehabilitation spaces at specialized medical institutions at the same time, where there is a team of rehabilitation specialists, so that our defenders can start recovery as soon as possible. The first such project has already started at the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv - the relevant Memorandum with the participation of the Ministry of Health was signed these days. About its goals, features and prospects is our conversation with Oles Dovgiy.

How did the idea of creating the «RehabiCenter» initiative come about and what tasks will it solve?

The idea to deal with the problem of physical rehabilitation arose a long time ago - as a result of some bitter personal experience. At one time, I got several complex injuries and faced the fact that there were very few rehabilitation facilities in the country. Therefore, the idea of creating them lived in my mind all the time, so to speak, on the back-burner of consciousness. I realized how this niche was little by little occupied by private business - and the situation seemed to be leveling off. But after the beginning of the great war, on February 24, I came back to this topic again. It is clear that during a full-scale war, the issue of increasing the availability of rehabilitation for military and civilians became acute.

Moreover, supporting and communicating directly with many military people, you personally see and feel this situation. At the same time, the rehabilitation base itself is not enough - we would like to have more opportunities. It is from this understanding of the urgency of the problem that the idea of the "RehabiCenter" initiative arose as a platform that will unite people who feeling pain by this topic literally and figuratively.

What was the first practical step on this path?

For half a year now, the "Together We Can" Charity Foundation of the Dovgiy Family has been helping the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, where the permanent combat trauma unit has been operating since 2022. Wounded people with multiple limb injuries, complex injuries that require muscle transplantation, joint insertion, fusion, and tissue augmentation are admitted here. And this is where I came as a person who took care of specific fighters. And then I realized that my work should not be "point-specific", because together with my partners, finding new ways of cooperation, I can influence the situation more globally.

I found here super-specialists with super-competences, but the general situation is such that the extraordinary efforts of rehabilitators can and should be strengthened by additional funding and improvement of medical equipment, so that the recovery of soldiers would be faster and more comfortable. I am working to expand the possibilities of the Institute not only with a larger area of the updated Rehabilitation Center and updated technology base, but also to help increase the number of doctors.

Any chance to solve these problems?

Together with the project team and the first partners who responded to my call, we are already working in this direction. I asked the management of the Institute about the exact needs. Thus I was shown an extension suitable for the creation of a new rehabilitation center of sufficient area, which has both a separate entrance and direct access from the hospital to the rehabilitation unit. To everything in order there, the following components are needed: renovation of the premises, financing, equipment, and organizational assistance. We attract specialists in repair work and medical spaces equipment professionals, partners who are ready to contribute financially, provide services pro bono (voluntarily and free of charge, for the benefit of the community) or at cost or contribute to the provision of equipment. So far, an initial assessment of the need for renovation of the premises has been carried out, as well as possible options for the supply of equipment have been analyzed. Further on, we will work out specific details and implement the project step by step.

How exactly will the "RehabiCenter" initiative be implemented? Can you please reveal the details?

Within the framework of the «RehabiCenter» initiative, the "Together We Can" Dovgiy Family Charity Foundation will perform the function of an administrative and technical platform that helps build the appropriate ecosystem. On the basis of the Foundation, partners and those who care have united more than once to respond to tragic challenges. Historically, the focus of the Foundation has been on education, but currently we have focused on the military-medical direction.

As early as the first days of a full-scale invasion, we delivered the state-of-the-art mobile surgery to the forefront, thanks to which doctors are saving the lives of our defenders every day. We systematically support one of the largest paramedical volunteer battalions, the "Hospitaliers": recently we transferred another donation - over a million hryvnias – for hemostatic tourniquets to stop bleeding in the face of the enemy. As part of a joint project with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health, it was possible to collect and deliver the necessary medicines for more than 100 medical institutions, in particular for front-line hospitals.

When the great war began, wastewater treatment facilities were destroyed in many cities - and many people southern and eastern regions of our country were left without access to drinking water. In particular, together with the State Emergency Service, we delivered a special Austrian reagent, produced by the BASU company, to the Mykolaiv region to obtain 12 million liters of clean water. When the enemy blew up the Kakhovskaya HPP, we handed over another similar reagent for the patients of the Kherson hospital.

As you can see, each of these projects has a unique configuration, but they are united by two key principles of the Foundation's work. The first is the targeted nature of the assistance that these recipients need. The second is the involvement and unification of partners and like-minded people, thanks to which a very powerful synergy always arises and a result is achieved.

Whose support are you counting on for the implementation of the «RehabiCenter» initiative?

The project aims to unite private and government initiatives, both Ukrainian and foreign. And in this case, the financing of repairing, project and organizational works will be set on the platform of the Foundation together with partners. We plan to purchase the equipment within the framework of the joint project of the World Bank and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine "HEAL Ukraine". I am convinced that in the future this experience could be scaled by expanding partnerships with international and private partners when it comes to other medical institutions.

If you manage to increase rehabilitation capacity, then there will be a need to give training to additional specialists. Are you planning to deal with this issue?

Now I am negotiating with the rehabilitation department of the Vienna University Clinic. I hosted the first delegation of the state-of-the-art innovative rehabilitation clinic from Israel. This is the level of competence and the benchmarks we need to measure up to. Of course, the first stage of the «RehabiCenter» initiative will be assistance to medical facilities in terms of equipment and technical base. However, in the future I want to focus on international relations for attracting modern competences. Ukrainian specialists should get access to the best global practices as soon as possible, which will help not to reinvent the wheel, but to immediately use advanced achievements. It is quite possible: just as our military, switching to NATO standards and mastering new weapons, learn at an accelerated pace, so can our rehabilitation specialists.

Do you realize the scope of the task you are undertaking, and are you ready to face the fact that this is a many-ears-to come volume of works?

I don't want to say that we will turn the world upside down. The issue of rehabilitation is taken care of at the all-Ukrainian level - by local authorities and private initiatives. These issues can be solved faster only by uniting. The more programs like this, the better. There was always a shortage of rehabilitation spaces, and the war made this issue one of the most pressing for Ukrainian society. This is a direction where there are always more needs to be done.

Therefore, today every step is of great importance both for me personally and for the project team - it is important to bring each project to launch. Let's say, at the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, we will do everything we have planned, we will ensure the opening of the center, whilst the operational management and the work of specialists will be organized by the Institute's team. Then we’ll be able move on to the next project.

For now, we are at the stage of joining forces and cooperating with everyone who wants to contribute financially, organizationally, come with their connections, goods, services or ideas.

While on the front lines our warriors approach victory through their love to the country and rage against the enemy, here we do it with faith, love and gratitude to our defenders. It is important that they feel it, be aware that we cherish them very much! Adapted streets, offices, maximum accessible rehabilitation - this is what will help them feel at home. The «RehabiCenter» project will work to increase the capacities for the rehabilitation of our defenders. This is my way of expressing gratitude and love to those who are bringing victory closer on the front lines.