PATRIOT DEFENCE CONFERENCE: BRINGING GROUPS TOGETHER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS
Larysa Zariczniak
Kyiv, Ukraine
On 19-21 January 2015, various Ukrainian governmental ministries, army and volunteer battalions, medical services, and volunteers gathered for a conference at the Ukrainian House in Kyiv, Ukraine. The conference was organized by Patriot Defence, a Ukrainian World Congress initiative that trains Ukrainian combatants and volunteers in essential tactical medical first aid. Patriot Defence has trained over 11,000 Ukrainian servicemen and women and has issued over 8,000 Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs).
The conference was about the development, standardization, and implementation of tactical medicine in Ukraine. This particular subject is very important in Ukraine today since thousands of Ukrainians are dying in the war against Russian-backed forces in the east. Dr. Ulana Suprun, the Director of the Humanitarian Initiative for the Ukrainian World Congress and the Head of Patriot Defence, opened the conference by stating that more Ukrainians have died in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) than the entire NATO mission in Afghanistan (129 killed per month in Ukraine as compared to 29 per month). She stated that modernization of the Ukrainian military will only happen with “new training and education” and in this way, a “new effective system of helping the wounded” will be established.
This idea of a new way of training Ukrainian combatants was echoed by the Head of the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU), Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, who said that tactical medicine and knowledge of modern standards is priority number one for the SBU. This was because the SBU lost many members against the Russians and have not forgotten the initiatives and work of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which too had their own specific tactical medicine initiatives. Ukraine’s new Minister of Health, A. Kvitashvili, indicated that he was glad to see Ukraine responding to the humanitarian crisis but insisted that the country needs doctors who know how to treat the wounded and not how to shoot them (which was the policy of the Soviet Union). He ended his speech by indicating that the “future of Ukraine is bright.”
The future of the Ukrainian army’s tactical medical training will be coordinated by Dr. Olia Bogomolets, who announced that this year all officer schools will implement tactical medical training for all of its cadets, beginning with 2,000 cadet officers who will be leaving their school six months early to serve in the ATO. She also insisted that military medicine be reintroduced into every medical university, noting that the objectives of Ukraine’s mobilization will be achieved when every doctor and psychologist knows what to do during wartime. Dr. Vsevolod Stebliuk also announced that over 300 reserve medics will be trained in tactical medicine and will also be certified instructors for others in their units.
The first day of the conference also included a series of panels that explained the work of various governmental, volunteer, and battalion medical training initiatives. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), for example, explained that they have trained about 90 percent of their officers and that they, in turn, have become trainers. The issue surrounding the evacuation process was also discussed – Ministry of the Interior hospitals are currently being used as collection points, however there is a need for a more effective and efficient evacuation process. Some questions were raised about the Ministry of Defence’s mobile hospital, and it is for reasons such as these that this particular conference was important: volunteers, trainers, and servicemen could ask representatives of the various ministries questions and give them their objections and reasons for any dissatisfaction. Dr. V. Bodnar from the Azov Volunteer Battalion also insisted that if it were not for the volunteers, the shortages at the front would have been even worse than they currently are. He said that the majority of those who die on the front do so due to blood loss and traumatic injuries from shelling and/or snipers. The work of Patriot Defence is therefore essential, as they train soldiers to save themselves (and as in some cases, the lives of others).
The second day had sessions by volunteers, foreign military, and medical representatives. Some of the volunteers insisted that while tactical medicine is important for the military, it should also be implemented among the civilian population living in the ATO zone. Certain volunteer initiatives were also highlighted, namely the volunteer mobile hospital that is modelled on the American Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), which works independently of the Ministry of Defence and along the whole front.
Psychological care was also discussed. It was disclosed that psychological culture in Ukraine is largely misunderstood and is not widespread. Volunteers and NGOs have taken on the role traditionally played by governments. The Ministry of the Interior, for example, has criminal psychologists but none of them are trained in crisis psychology. To help alleviate this situation, the NATO Support Agency announced that they will be working on a rehabilitation program in Ukraine that will try to reintegrate soldiers back into normal life. They will be partnering with various clinics and hospitals throughout Ukraine to fit prosthetics, provide psychological care, vocational training, and financial support. These initiatives will be aided by various governmental organizations and NATO programs.
During the sessions international tactical medical care was also discussed and certain ideas were debated. The United States Army, for example, uses TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) in almost every armed forces training program and has had nearly perfect success rates (the CAT tourniquet helps save lives and limbs from being lost). The keys to success in these cases are best practice guidelines, good leadership, and having all unit leaders ensuring regular TCCC training. This program can also be established among civilian police and emergency services (paramedics and firemen) so that everyone knows how to save lives during times of war and crisis. The Canadian Armed Forces representatives discussed Canada’s use of mobile hospitals in Afghanistan, but also insisted that Ukraine should implement certain practices that will save more lives in the field. In particular, apply best medical practices based on already available guidelines (available online for free), continue its improvement (lessons learned on operations in the field), implement time limitations for treatments (the quicker the treatment, the faster the recovery), continuity of care (always have a medical professional with the injured), and ensure the medical system’s compatibility with the system used by fighting forces (one is strong when the other is strong).
The last day of the conference produced its resolutions and recommendations. The resolutions included the creation of a tactical medicine course that should be standard for all military medical personnel and soldiers. This course must be based on modern equivalents like the TCCC; it must also have the maximum equivalent to TCCC standards for medical packs and better and more coordinated cooperation between all organs and groups that work with wounded soldiers (from the field to the rehabilitation centre). The conference ended with several Patriot Defence trainers illustrating some of their tactical medical training in a shortened program.
For more information on the conference and Patriot Defence, please visit their website: patriotdefence.org
Larysa Zariczniak
This idea of a new way of training Ukrainian combatants was echoed by the Head of the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU), Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, who said that tactical medicine and knowledge of modern standards is priority number one for the SBU. This was because the SBU lost many members against the Russians and have not forgotten the initiatives and work of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which too had their own specific tactical medicine initiatives. Ukraine’s new Minister of Health, A. Kvitashvili, indicated that he was glad to see Ukraine responding to the humanitarian crisis but insisted that the country needs doctors who know how to treat the wounded and not how to shoot them (which was the policy of the Soviet Union). He ended his speech by indicating that the “future of Ukraine is bright.”
The first day of the conference also included a series of panels that explained the work of various governmental, volunteer, and battalion medical training initiatives. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), for example, explained that they have trained about 90 percent of their officers and that they, in turn, have become trainers. The issue surrounding the evacuation process was also discussed – Ministry of the Interior hospitals are currently being used as collection points, however there is a need for a more effective and efficient evacuation process. Some questions were raised about the Ministry of Defence’s mobile hospital, and it is for reasons such as these that this particular conference was important: volunteers, trainers, and servicemen could ask representatives of the various ministries questions and give them their objections and reasons for any dissatisfaction. Dr. V. Bodnar from the Azov Volunteer Battalion also insisted that if it were not for the volunteers, the shortages at the front would have been even worse than they currently are. He said that the majority of those who die on the front do so due to blood loss and traumatic injuries from shelling and/or snipers. The work of Patriot Defence is therefore essential, as they train soldiers to save themselves (and as in some cases, the lives of others).
