In late September Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) transferred more than 200 patients with neurological and psychiatric conditions by medical train from an overcrowded hospital in Ukraine's Kharkiv city to facilities with more capacity in Kyiv.
These people were part of a larger group that had been evacuated from a hospital in Kharkiv oblast [province] that was located on a front line of the war with Russia. An evacuation process had been underway when the facility was reportedly shelled, killing four medical staff and two patients. Survivors were then transferred to the Kharkiv city hospital.
When they arrived in Kharkiv city, their numbers filled the facility beyond capacity—from 400 to more than 1,000 patients. The influx overwhelmed hospital staff and forced some patients to sleep on the floor.
“After receiving so many patients, despite the best efforts of the staff, the conditions in the hospital became really difficult,” said MSF doctor Borys Potapov, who accompanied the patients during the transfer from Kharkiv city to Kyiv. “They didn't have enough beds, medication, or staff to take care of everyone.”