For nearly five years, Viktor Kurdvanivskyi has worked as an emergency medical service driver in Odesa. Typically, an ambulance driver’s role is limited to operating the vehicle and waiting inside while medical personnel attend to patients. But Viktor has always enjoyed helping people, so he wanted to advance his skills.

“When our training department announced they were looking for people to train as emergency medical technicians, I immediately signed up,” he recalled.

The training, organized as part of the flagship “EU4Recovery — Empowering Communities in Ukraine” partnership between UNDP and the EU, lasted three and a half months. During the training, Viktor learned to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, check airways, stop bleeding, and insert catheters. The first two months focused on theory, while the remaining six weeks involved practicing and refining skills on medical mannequins.

According to Viktor, transitioning from mannequins to real patients wasn’t frightening. “In an emergency, your brain switches off and you just try to do everything you can to save a life,” he explained.

On an average shift, Viktor responds to between 7 and 13 calls.

“I always try to be actively involved and that includes ensuring safety. People on emergency calls can be unpredictable, so my presence can be an advantage. Plus, we work in teams of three specialists, which means at least two extra hands to help. Of course, I can’t administer medication, but I can do things like supporting a patient’s head while a cervical collar is being applied,” he said.