Doctors from Ukraine and France to operate on Ukrainian patients with mine-blast injuries

The operations will be conducted as part of an intergovernmental project of the Ministries of Health of Ukraine and France, which is a practical implementation of the memorandum of cooperation signed by the ministers of both countries in April last year. The project will last for five years and envisages the creation of an expert school in Ukraine for facial reconstruction and plastic surgery in case of traumatic injuries. The project will help hundreds of traumatized patients using international clinical protocols and modern evidence-based practices, as well as summarize the scientific and practical experience of treating and rehabilitating patients with mine-blast injuries who suffered from war traumas in Ukraine.

“Due to the war, the number of patients with mine-blast wounds is increasing, both among the military and civilians. All of them need highly qualified assistance involving multidisciplinary teams of specialists of the highest expert level and the most modern equipment,” says Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine. “Under the current circumstances, this requires the integration of efforts by the state, international partners, charitable foundations, private investors, and the unification of specialized medical institutions, university departments, and specialized departments of military and civilian hospitals. I am grateful to the French government for its expert assistance in this area and to the Superhumans Center, which hosts the mission. Joint coordinated actions will help Ukrainians affected by the war to recover and return to normal life.”

The first stage of the mission took place in July 2023 as an advisory mission. At Superhumans, leading French and Ukrainian specialists examined 55 patients with mine-blast injuries to the craniofacial areas and developed treatment plans. As of today, the medical teams in Lviv and Kyiv have already performed the first stages of surgical interventions on 15 patients selected at the time. In total, Ukrainian specialists have already performed more than 50 reconstructive surgeries in the head and neck area for patients with mine-blast injuries sustained as a result of the full-scale invasion.

The second stage of the joint Ukrainian-French mission is currently underway. The selected 8 patients will soon undergo complex reconstructive surgeries: replacement of hard and soft tissue defects with autotransplantation, and replacement of hard tissue defects with patient-specific implants. The surgeries will take place at the Superhumans Center with the participation of specialists from both countries.

An extremely important part of the mission is also educational. Two teams of surgeons from Lviv and Kyiv will gain experience from leading specialists from Ukraine and France, a country whose reconstructive surgeons are considered the best in the world. This will allow us to scale up the necessary skills and help more people in different parts of Ukraine.