Two Ukrainian Red Cross Volunteers Awarded Florence Nightingale Medals

Iryna Shyrochenko and Valentyna Prysiazhniuk, volunteers with the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team, have been awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal — the highest and most prestigious international honour for healthcare workers.

The medal recognises exceptional courage, dedication, and compassion in caring for the wounded and victims of armed conflict or natural disasters. Iryna and Valentyna demonstrated their commitment to humanitarian principles under the most challenging conditions during the war in Ukraine — saving lives, evacuating civilians under fire, and providing essential assistance.

• Iryna Shyrochenko has volunteered with the emergency response team of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross since 2016. A qualified doctor, she took part in the Skhid (East) mission rotations and worked in frontline regions on multiple occasions. Iryna helped evacuate people from Irpin and Bucha in the early days of the full-scale invasion and provided first aid following strikes on Kyiv. She also contributed to establishing Ukrainian Red Cross mobile aid stations at railway stations.

• Valentyna Prysiazhniuk has volunteered with the emergency response team of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross since 2017. She is currently an intern specialising in orthopaedics and traumatology at Kyiv City Hospital. At the onset of the full-scale invasion, Valentyna operated in the Kyiv region, evacuating victims under fire and providing first aid. Following the attack on Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in July 2024, she helped care for victims, including children with serious conditions such as spinal injuries and those on ventilator support.

This year, 35 professionals from around the world were awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal — a global recognition of the dedication and bravery of those who work tirelessly to save lives. In Ukraine, more than 20 volunteers and staff members of the Ukrainian Red Cross have received this prestigious honour to date.

Congratulations to our volunteers — we are so proud of you!