The working hours are longer and more intense because more children need serious medical help.

Maternity hospitals are driven into underground bomb shelters.

Premature delivery

"There are more cases of premature delivery these days because women are under constant stress," says
 paediatrician Oksana Sirenko.

On weekends, Oksana works as a volunteer and gives free consultations. Medicine shortages are a concern.

"A six-month-old baby had high fever, so they found a pill for adults and dosed it somehow."

"Unfortunately, we can't buy all the medicine here in Ukraine," she says.

Loved ones

Before the war forced her evacuation, Oksana was planning to renovate her apartment in Kyiv. She no longer cares about renovations, she says.

“The first thing I want to do when I get back is see all my loved ones. I want to rebuild my city.”

• Follow the link to read the full story in the original publication in Ukraine World: “In Kyiv, doctors’ shifts last weeks rather than days”, Oksana Sirenko, 37, Kyiv Reader discretion is advised.