Since the full-scale war began, the SSU Military Medical Directorate, in cooperation with other healthcare institutions, has built an effective system of interaction and a single medical environment that allows providing timely care to Ukrainian defenders.

The chief of the SSU Military Medical Directorate, major general of medical service Liudmyla Shuhaley briefed the audience about this at the Women’s Leadership in Time of War forum.

‘Our main task is to treat soldiers. We were immediately involved in the Defence Forces and together with the healthcare institutions of the Armed Forces, Healthcare Ministry, and the Academy of Medical Sciences we are providing medical assistance to soldiers: not only to servicemen of the SSU, but also of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Logistics were very quickly arranged at all stages of evacuation. We cooperate closely with the Ministry of Defence. All this allows to provide timely medical care to our soldiers, save them and bring them back to life,’ Liudmyla Shuhaley noted.

In particular, the medics of the Military Medical Directorate meet ambulance trains, treat and rehabilitate the wounded in hospitals and work in the frontline regions.

‘Our team believes that all the soldiers we treat are Heroes. And we are doing our best to bring them back to life,’ Liudmyla Shuhaley emphasized.

She also believes that during the war Ukrainian women have demonstrated great potential in all spheres of life. ‘They were able to reorganize, unite and perform extremely important tasks side by side with the men on the battlefield and in the rear,’ Liudmyla Shuhaley added.

The chief of the SSU Military Medical Directorate told how the SSU’s medics prepared for different war scenarios.

‘For me personally and for the SSU, the war began in 2014. And it was the SSU servicemen who, unfortunately, were among the first killed in action. Even at that moment we were working out different scenarios. And as for medicine, we made a change in 2015: we refocused by going from civilian to military and tactical medicine,’ the chief of the Directorate said.

Already then, tactical medicine courses were introduced for all employees of the SSU and included in the curriculum at the SSU National Academy.