Our visits are the only opportunity for people to receive medical care close to home: Vitalii Prokhorenko

Covering hundreds of kilometres on difficult roads in the Chernihiv region so that people in the most remote communities can access the healthcare they need is part of Vitalii’s daily work as a driver of the Ukrainian Red Cross mobile health unit. Navigating challenging routes, he helps medical professionals reach people who need support the most.

Vitalii works as a driver of the Ukrainian Red Cross mobile health unit in the Chernihiv region. Every day, he travels hundreds of kilometres across the region, helping medical professionals provide primary healthcare to people living in remote communities.

His work is crucial to ensuring that doctors can travel to remote villages, including those in border areas, quickly and safely.

“For people in remote areas, our visits are the only opportunity to receive medical care close to home. That’s why I always do everything I can to ensure that the team can safely reach every community,” the driver says.

Vitalii enjoys his work above all because it allows him to help people. However, he says that the biggest challenge in his day-to-day work is the roads, particularly in remote communities across the region.

Many villages are located far from district and regional hospitals and have limited transport connections. The routes often run along roads that have been damaged as a result of hostilities.

“The most important things in my work are the safety of the team, being prepared for any unforeseen situations, and helping to transport people with limited mobility,” says Vitalii.

Vitalii believes that his work is not just about driving, but also about making sure that assistance reaches the people who need it most when they need it.