Swedish healthcare personnel visit Ukraine for the twelfth time during the war

For Roger Westerlund, this is the twelfth time he has visited Ukraine during the war. For colleague Sara Johansson, it was the first time.

She had expected to be greeted by what she had seen in the news reports: a ruined country, old-fashioned and gray.

- It was a country full of color. The first thing you see when you drive in is a sea of ​​sunflowers and the people are incredibly driven, says Sara Johansson.

Drove 100 miles with equipment

They drove down to the southeastern parts of Ukraine. The vehicles were then donated at various locations in the country. They also had quite a large amount of medical equipment with them.

- We donated relatively new equipment such as syringe pumps and medical monitoring equipment, says Roger Westerlund.

- The thing that made the strongest emotional impression was the children's hospital. We were allowed to come in and meet families with injured children, says Roger Westerlund.

They both describe a country that, despite bombs, drones and air raids, tries to have a functioning everyday life. With schools underground, with people going to work and restaurants in shelters.

- This unbroken will to defend one's country at all costs, I take with me, says Roger Westerlund.

Met fighting spirit and ingenuity

Sara is a digitization strategist in the region, and she is impressed by the transformation and information capabilities in Ukraine.

- The thing that has impressed the most is perhaps how they have managed to do things so quickly. We have to mentally prepare ourselves and work on our ingenuity, she says.

Acting quickly is the key, says Roger, who says that the region is looking at alternative places to provide care. Places that are protected and must be prepared.

- The turnaround time will not be as long as we think. If the security situation deteriorates, it will happen quickly, he says.