In Lviv, the French organization La Chaîne de l’Espoir, with support from France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is conducting regular medical missions where French surgeons and nurses train Ukrainian colleagues in treating mine and blast injuries.
The focus is on nerve reconstruction, bone grafting, and infection prevention protocols—skills that are especially critical on the front lines, where saving a limb can depend on a matter of hours even with non-lethal injuries.
“Ukrainian surgeons are highly skilled,” said Rory Peters, head of La Chaîne de l’Espoir's mission in Ukraine. “But our specialists bring unique experience in war surgery and blast trauma, making this exchange of knowledge particularly valuable.”
Operations are performed jointly with Ukrainian doctors at St. Panteleimon Hospital in Lviv, allowing new methods to be implemented immediately in practice.
Meanwhile, French nurses are training local staff in modern aseptic techniques and wound care, adapting best practices to the local context.
“Surgical site infections are a major source of post-operative complications and mortality,” said Batoul Liaquat, a nurse and volunteer with La Chaîne de l’Espoir. “This is especially critical because the wounds are often sustained in extreme conditions.”
The issue is compounded by increasing antibiotic resistance.
“Many patients receive initial treatment in hospitals near the front before being transferred here,” Peters added. “By the time they arrive in Lviv, they often face infectious complications. Some lose limbs that might have been saved.”
This mission-based format allows for rapid knowledge scaling: after a single mission involving around 20 patients, Ukrainian doctors apply the techniques learned to hundreds of new cases—both near the front lines and in rear hospitals.
