We are calling for donations for a new ambulance car for Trekhizbenka – a village cut off from basic medical services by the frontline in Eastern Ukraine.
Since 2014, the frontline has divided the Eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. It separates people from their families, children from their schools, parents from their jobs and sick people from the nearest doctor or hospital.
The village of Trechizbenka lies directly on the frontline. Where Lila Shvets’ orchard ends, the trenches begin. Lila runs the Trechizbenka outpatient clinic – the only access to medical help for the people in the area. Every Friday, Lila visits the remote villages in the “grey zone”, the area between the opposing military positions. The people who live there cannot easily travel to the doctor. The roads are bad, large detours have to be taken due to the front line, and the military checkpoints do not always allow the civilian population to pass.
In 2015, Libereco donated a car to the polyclinic. A red T4, already a little aged, but solid. It was named Patrick and has served as the clinic’s transport vehicle ever since. Patrick has mastered potholes and sandy roads in numerous emergencies. Thanks to Patrick, people have survived heart attacks and strokes. His driver Vovo, Lila’s husband, has repaired the ambulance many times with great care. But now Trechizbenka’s ambulance car has broken down for good. There is no money to replace it and the state does not help. And without a car, people living near the front have no access to medical help in an emergency.