Dnipro hospital treats constant flow of war wounded

A central hospital in Dnipro has become a main treatment centre for soldiers and civilians wounded in eastern and southern Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. Hospital director Sergiy Ryzhenko and staff described a constant flow of patients and said the injuries have changed from bullet wounds to damage caused by drones, missiles and glide bombs.

During a 24-hour period at the hospital, surgeons were already carrying out amputations by 9:00 am. One patient was a 27-year-old soldier whose legs had been shredded by a Russian drone. Ryzhenko said the injuries from newer weapons often leave bodies torn apart and make it very hard to save patients.

Ryzhenko oversees about 50 to 100 operations each morning. Staff said about 83 percent of patients arrive unconscious or with body parts torn open or off. Nurse Ruslana Vorobyova said dark humour helps medics cope with what they see, but she also described exhaustion and dreams of explosions after shifts.

Dnipro is more than 100 kilometres from the front line, but the city is frequently hit by Russian attacks. The hospital also has a maternity unit, where obstetrician Olga Fandeieva said moving between trauma care and delivering babies helps her remember why the work matters.

The hospital recorded 1,958 trauma surgeries in the first five months of the year and almost 60,000 operations since 2022. Staff said multiple-trauma cases are now normal, with some patients needing as many as 20 operations in a week. Dozens of Western doctors have visited the hospital to learn how to treat drone-strike injuries, which the source described as a fast-growing specialisation in Ukrainian healthcare.

Around midnight, after overnight strikes began, paramedics brought in a man with bandages on his face and drone fragments in his throat, eyes and head. Ryzhenko said facial injuries are among the most difficult for staff to face. Half a dozen ambulances came through before dawn, which staff described as a quiet night. By morning, the day shift had arrived and the hospital’s routine began again.