Searle underground in Ukraine

•  Dr Lisa Searle is providing medical care for displaced civilians in Ukraine. Photo supplied.

By Daisy Baker,
May 25, 2022

For the past two months, Lisa Searle has been working as a doctor for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Kharkiv, supporting locals who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.

Dr Searle was raised in the North-East and has been working with MSF for 13 years, doing stints in Pakistan, the Congo, Haiti, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and now Ukraine.

Kharkiv was once the second biggest city in Ukraine, well known for its monuments, gardens and beautiful buildings and was home to around 1.6 million people.

Now, the streets are a sea of destruction with debris and people’s belongings strewn everywhere.

Kharkiv has been heavily hit with missiles, mines and shelling during the conflict and less than a third of the population remains in the city.

Until recently, Dr Searle was leading mobile health clinics in Kharkiv’s underground subway stations.

The city’s 30 underground metro stations have been providing refuge to approximately 8,000 civilians whose homes were destroyed by airstrikes or shelling. 

Many haven’t been outside to the surface for weeks.

“We offered care to these people in the form of outpatient consultations and mental health support, and we slept in the stations together with these people, camping on the platforms or in train carriages,” she said.

“Living conditions were horrific, with no washing or laundry facilities, and hundreds of people crowded together on the platforms, their beds cobbled together from cushions and
cardboard boxes.”

One of the people she met underground was a 65-year-old woman who had been living in the Metro station since the first day of conflict, spending 84 days underground. 

“She was there with her husband, but the rest of her family, including her daughter and grandchildren, have left the country and are now living in Germany,” Dr Searle said.

“Her home was destroyed and she was terrified of what the future holds for her. Her husband, lying in bed next to where we were talking, had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and she cares for him. 

“She wiped the tears from her eyes as she thanked me for all that we have done for them over these last two months, and told me how grateful they were for our presence here in the underground standing beside them and providing healthcare for them.” 

When Dr Searle first arrived in Kharkiv the shelling was constant, and they spent minimal time above ground.

She said while things remain unstable and unpredictable, the situation in the city is starting to improve, with less shelling and more people around in the streets. 

“This week people are being asked to leave the Metro stations so the public transport system can be restarted,” Dr Searle said.

“Many of these people do not have somewhere safe to go back to, as their homes are damaged. 

“We are trying to keep in touch with them and setting up an online medical consultation service where people can still access our doctors and we can take medications to them in their homes or wherever they are sheltering.” 

The MSF team is now starting to be able to move to villages outside the city, some of which have previously been occupied, and where the needs are incredibly high. 

“Those who could have left, and those who are left behind are elderly or disabled, and have no access to hygiene items, food, and healthcare,” Dr Searle said.

“We are starting to run mobile clinics in these villages, when the security situation allows, to bring medications and mental health services to these most vulnerable people.” 

Dr Searle said her team is providing care to individuals with conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and mental health problems.

Amongst all the suffering, Dr Searle said it’s inspiring to see local volunteers coordinating donations of food, hygiene items and medications for those most in need. 

“Every day I meet people whose compassion and determination to help the most vulnerable brings tears to my eyes and forces me to see the hope that lives on in this devastated place.” 

When not working abroad, Dr Searle now lives in the Huon Valley.