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B.C.’s top burn doctor and medical director for Vancouver General Hospital’s burn unit has returned from Ukraine.
Dr. Anthony Papp spent two weeks volunteering in Lviv, Ukraine, providing care for those injured in the Russian invasion.
Read more: B.C. doctor fundraising to bring medical equipment to front lines in Ukraine
“Most of the patients I treated were mostly soldiers, injured either in the trenches with explosions or burned in other ways at the front,” said Papp.
“These patients are almost always already infected with various bacteria before they even get to the burn unit, which makes things really complicated.”
Read more: B.C. surgeon volunteers in Poland to help war victims wounded in Ukraine
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But Papp says Ukrainian morale remains high, with few at the hospital talking about the war let alone complaining about it.
Beyond the patients he treated, one lasting contribution will be his input into new medical protocols for treating burns in Lviv.
As for his safety, he was fine during his stint in Lviv, but a Russian missile barrage a few days after he left served as a reminder that Canadian doctors have been taking real risks in providing their services in the wartorn country, he said.
