Combat medic Petro Konoplya spoke about the critical problems faced by the Ukrainian military

Life on the front line depends not only on the courage and bravery of our defenders, but also on the conditions provided to them by the state, the quality of medical equipment and recovery from injuries. As it turns out, the Ukrainian military faces numerous problems related to the quality of support and conditions of recovery after injuries. Lack of adequate funding, corruption, bureaucracy and the use of unreliable medical equipment create additional threats to their lives. Food in hospitals, the quality of medical equipment, delays in payments are just some of the challenges that our defenders face every day.

Combat medic Petro Konoplya told about the critical problems faced by the Ukrainian military, in particular regarding the dangerous quality of Chinese turnstiles and unsatisfactory food in medical institutions. His story is a candid look at the real threats to the lives of our defenders, and shows why corruption and red tape continue to destroy hopes for better conditions for the military.

The quality of feeding the Ukrainian military

Problems with the quality of food in medical institutions where Ukrainian military personnel are treated and rehabilitated remain critical. This issue becomes even more important when military trauma survivors face unacceptable conditions during their treatment and rehabilitation.

“I don’t understand why, when hospitals are allocated the same funds, in some places they feed junk food, and in others – real dishes. They have both the first and the second, yogurts, compotes, bread and cheese, sausage, borscht.” Petro is indignant, describing the contrast between different hospitals.

The medic recalls how after the last injury he ended up in psychiatric hospital No. 2 in Oleksandrivka, where he was shocked by the quality of the food.

“When I got there, I thought it was an abuse of people. The food we were served was far from a medical diet. In the morning we were fed overcooked pasta with milk, without any nutritional value.” – believes Peter.

The situation worsened so much that the combat medic decided to go on a hunger strike.

“There were no vegetables, fruits, normal meat in my diet. I lost weight during the service and during treatment.” he explains.

After the publication of the video with the food conditions, the situation attracted the attention of the public. Then it was agreed that the catering would start supplying the food. But, unfortunately, it did not last long.

“I was discharged on September 13, and already on September 14, the catering stopped coming,” Peter said.

Despite increased funding allocated by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSHU), the situation remained critical.

“For the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, 168 hryvnias were allocated per day, of which 32 hryvnias went for food. But even with this money, we were not fed properly. Then the funding tripled, but there were almost no changes.” Peter adds.

In his opinion, the lack of control over expenses gives rise to corruption and negatively affects the quality of conditions for the military.

“I tried to ask why they refused catering, and they told me that they decided to feed by the hospital. It turned out that the situation in other hospitals also remains critical.

I was contacted by people from the regional drug dispensary in Kharkiv, where soldiers are fed once a day. An official inspection has already been announced there.” – informs Peter.

Injury payments: the seven-fold path through VLK

Petro Konoplia said that the procedure for payment of compensation for injuries to military personnel in Ukraine depends significantly on the severity of injuries. Military personnel can receive about 50 thousand hryvnias for minor injuries, from 100 to 200 thousand hryvnias for medium injuries and up to a million hryvnias for severe injuries. In case of disability, payments can be even higher. However, the very process of receiving payments goes through the Military Medical Commission (MMC) and the Specialized Expert Commission (SEC), which often leads to significant delays in payments. In addition to delays due to commissions, a lot depends on how much the military himself is aware of his rights and the support of his unit.

“A lot depends on the command of the unit in which the soldier is stationed. Some brigades actively help their soldiers in the process of preparing documents for payments. For example, the patronage service “Azov” provides such support. But there are cases when soldiers do not know their rights and are left alone with problems, due to which they do not receive adequate payments”, – emphasizes the military man.

Peter admits that he himself did not receive funds for his previous injuries.

“I found out about the payments only after the second wounding. The third was easy and I quickly returned to the service. And now there are bureaucratic errors that I must solve as a priority. However, there is a new law aimed at improving the social security of the military, but its implementation is still not completed, and issues of bureaucracy and lack of funding remain relevant.” – explains Peter.

Tourniquets that do not save lives: a threat to the military

The combat medic believes that the quality of medical equipment, in particular tourniquets, remains among the biggest problems. Chinese tourniquets, which often end up in military first-aid kits, do not meet standards and may not work at a critical moment. He notes that even in the first-aid kits of elite units, such as the Marines, tourniquets of questionable quality ended up.

“We only realized on the battlefield that there are Chinese tourniquets in our first-aid kits. The problem remains serious, because poor-quality tourniquets can cost lives, and their use is complicated by shortcomings in the organization of supply and quality control of the means. Therefore, the issue of providing reliable medical equipment, especially on front line, needs urgent attention and solution”, Konoplya emphasized.

He said that after the problem was discovered, applications were submitted to the State Security Bureau, as a result of which an investigation began, and even the head of the medical forces was dismissed. However, despite the audit, quality turnstiles have still not been issued to all units, and many troops are still using unreliable equipment.

“Corruption is undoubtedly one of the causes of this phenomenon. Solving the issue requires a comprehensive approach, because even rescuers, police and medical services still have poor-quality turnstiles, which puts people’s lives at risk during emergency situations.” – Peter is confident.