Serhii Baksheiev
Dr. Baksheiev has conducted over 1,000 gynecological examinations in mobile ambulances since 2022
In a rural village near the frontlines of Ukraine, a group of women quietly queued outside a purple and white ambulance, holding their shaved heads and waiting to be seen by the doctors, dyed the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
For many of them, this is the first time they have seen a doctor since the war began more than three years ago.
Since 2022, 53-year-old Dr. Serhii Baksheiev has conducted over 1,000 gynecological examinations on frontline women and women in occupying regions in a mobile clinic with bright pink exam chairs.
Serhii Baksheiev
The “feminine shuttle” has ultrasound machines and other equipment for performing minor surgeries.
“This is the mission of humanitarian volunteers. It’s for people in need where there are no doctors or hospitals, and it’s absolutely free,” he says.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the war with Russia has put a heavy strain on Ukraine’s health care system, bringing over 1,940 attacks on medical facilities since the invasion.
When the war began, obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Baksiev initially helped to give birth to a baby when the bomb fell.
The idea for a street clinic came to him, he says, later a medical volunteer mission to the frontline revealed a shortage of facilities as the medical centre and hospital were completely destroyed.
“We went to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, which were very damaged. The most difficult thing was that we couldn’t provide gynecological services because we didn’t have tools or equipment because everything was ruined,” he says.
Dr. Baksheiev and his team should use what is available as an inspection table, including an old sofa. This means you have to kneel on the floor to carry out the exam.
Today, as you roam your electric vehicle, it is clear that Dr. Baksheiev is extremely proud of his abilities. He and his team are equipped with everything they need in these remote locations, including ultrasound machines and medical devices to perform minor surgeries.
Serhii Baksheiev
Before the mobile clinic, Dr. Baksiev had to use what is available to run the exam.
During the two-day mission, teams can perform up to 80 colpos copies. There, we examine the cervix and vulva for signs of cancer or pre-cancer tissue.
This job is very important to those living in these remote areas.
His visits to small rural villages occupied by the Russians are often kept secret. He and his team will ski a day or two, do the exam and leave before detection.
The numbers seen in the detection rates of ovarian and cervical cancer, provided by the BBC, provided by the Ukraine Ministry of Public Health, have fallen by 17% and 10%, respectively, since 2020.
And they find that when doctors like Dr. Baksheiev enter those areas to conduct their exams, they have a high average incidence of malignant tumors.
Serhii Baksheiev
Previously, Dr. Baksiev’s medical team had to use alternative spaces like this theater
On average, up to 4% of all women are diagnosed with malignant tumors after being tested, according to Frida Ukraine, a volunteer doctor at Baksheiev.
Dr. Urana Spron was Ukraine’s Minister of Health from 2016 to 2019. She says she has concerns about the “time bomb” of health outcomes as the war drags on.
“In the public health community, there is definitely a lot of concern about what will happen as the war continues,” she says.
“It’s because of constant stress, constant psychological trauma, not just in terms of physical health, but also in terms of mental health.”
Dr. Spron says the government has been able to partially or completely rebuild as many as 964 healthcare facilities affected by Russia.
“They are working closely with the WHO and other international organizations to come up with plans for how they can rebuild the healthcare system that was located before the Russian invasion,” she adds.
Despite being diagnosed with cancer in September 2024, Dr. Baksiev continues to volunteer and provide treatment to women across the country.
“Apart from the health check, many patients talk about how Russians attacked their villages, so you hear them,” he says.
“So we are not just doctors, we are therapists for these patients.”
