Between April 17 and 26, Professor Raphaël Pitti visited Lviv, Ukraine, to further develop war medicine training programs within HuSoMe’s activities.
Strengthening local autonomy in Lviv
During this mission, a new training session in the Acquisition of War Medical Techniques (ATMG) was organized. Over two days, Professor Pitti trained male and female trainers, thereby strengthening local autonomy. In total, four trainers were trained, including two women and two men.
In a second phase, these newly trained instructors delivered the training themselves to trainees over a three-day period. This cascade approach ensures the sustainable transfer of skills and helps meet the growing needs on the ground.
Educational innovation: The “Dark Room” immersive training
This training is particularly important in the current context, where the need for war casualty care remains constant. It enables healthcare professionals to master essential emergency procedures, directly inspired by real field conditions.
A key feature of this training is the use of the “dark room,” an immersive educational tool that recreates conditions close to those encountered in wartime (darkness, stress, constraints, shouting). This approach promotes learning in realistic conditions and improves healthcare workers’ ability to respond effectively.
Sustaining action in Kyiv
Three cadets from the group who completed the training wish to continue collaborating with us as instructors; they all have real field experience and are ready to share their knowledge.
The mission then continued in Kyiv with institutional meetings and the signing of agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation and sustaining training activities in Ukraine.
We signed memorandums of cooperation with the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, and the Ministry of the Interior of Ukraine.
Professor Pitti also met with representatives of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (the Ukrainian equivalent of Civil Protection in France) to explore the first steps of a partnership, particularly in the field of instructor training and support for medical care.
In addition, fruitful discussions took place with a representative of the Youth Council under the Ministry of Health of Ukraine regarding promising projects and potential areas of cooperation.
These various initiatives confirm, in our view, the relevance and scope of the work carried out, as well as the interest of several Ukrainian institutions in building long-term cooperation.