‘Due to drones, we were in range of everything’ – Clare man who worked as emergency medic in Ukraine qualifies as doctor in UL

Dr Oran McInerney (26) from Doonbeg, Co. Clare, graduated from Limerick’s School of Medicine and said his humanitarian work in Ukraine was a “life-changing experience".

The Clare man has spent three summers volunteering in Ukraine, including just before his final exams this year. This year he was working with an NGO evacuating heavily injured soldiers from the frontlines.

“I was based eight to 12 kilometres from the frontline. We lived in a bunker with a Ukrainian tank crew. We only worked at night because it was so dangerous.

"The tank crew would get a call and drive out to the ‘zero line’, the closest point of contact between opposing forces. We would meet them on their way back, drag the injured soldier from the tank and work on him until we got to the nearest stabilisation point, which was about 30 to 40 minutes away.

“Because of the drones we were always in range of everything, suicide drones the size of cars hit civilian houses 300 metres away from where we were based, huge 1500-pound glide bombs would hit down the field from us or take out the bridge we had just passed over, ballistic missiles and grad missiles would take out our local shops,” Oran said.

After graduating with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from UL in 2021, Oran decided to apply for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery graduate programme in order to volunteer abroad. In 2023, already a qualified Emergency Medical Technician, he went to Denmark to undergo additional special training in Combat Casualty Care before travelling to Ukraine for the first time.

"A few months later I found myself outside the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, evacuating injured soldiers before the city fell and delivering wood burning stoves to elderly villages with no running water or electricity when their houses had been destroyed.”

He has spent almost six months in total volunteering in Ukraine – and even survived a cluster bomb that struck within metres of him in 2023 and the destruction of two medical evacuation tanks during his most recent visit.

Oran will soon start his internship year of medical practice, after which he hopes to begin a training scheme in emergency medicine. But, for now, his time in Ukraine has come to a close.

Today's news in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23

“It was almost six months in total of some life-changing experiences and friends made. My humanitarian work is definitely not finished, there are so many other areas of the world that need help. For the sake of my family's nerves, I will leave it there."

The 26-year-old thanked his family and paid tribute to those he worked alongside him after receiving his degree.

"I'd like to thank my family, who I would not have done it without, in particular my father and mother. As well as my grandfather who was my simulated patient for the four years - he is easily the most medically examined grandad in all of West Clare.

"I would also like to thank the Ukrainians I had the honour of working with, some of whom are no longer with us, for their teaching and inspiration."