On the evening of February 12, Vaibhavi Nazare, was called to the emergency department of the Central City hospital of Kyiv. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, had been bitten by a dog.
“As usual, like every other patient we treated him. While I was attending to him, the supervisor observing my work introduced me to the minister and narrated my story to him. The minister then asked me, “Oh you didn’t go back to India after the invasion?”,” Vaibhavi recollects.
Later that day, Vaibhavi saw the minister’s Instagram story, where he expressed appreciation for her act –“It is symbolic that an intern from India, who stayed to study and work in Ukraine after the invasion, was on duty for my injury,” he wrote.
Vaibhavi had moved to Ukraine in 2017 when she was 19. She studied for six years as an undergraduate in general medicine, and now in her seventh year she is doing her post graduation in general surgery. Serving as an intern at a hospital in Kyiv, she stayed back in the country through the war and the pandemic.
About the minister’s story she says, “It was the first time I was publicly appreciated for my work. It felt really good. I was easily noticed and appreciated in the hospital, being the only foreigner here. But after this, I am not just seen as a foreign doctor but also one of the best doctors.”
As an intern at a most prestigious hospital in Ukraine, she looks after emergency cases of abdominal traumas, arms and leg injuries, open fractures, etc. She tends to both civic and army patients and is required to be on duty 24 hours. She began volunteering in the final year of university when the war began. Being the only student who went for classes held by a few teachers she found a way to be of help.
“Something in me urged me to stay back. As several colleagues and seniors were leaving, I realised the staff would run short of hands. This is the time when people need to look after each other and prioritise what is important. I thought if this was my country, I believed everyone would have done the same. If one is facing hard times, it’s our duty to help,” said Vaibhavi.
When the invasion took place, Vaibhavi’s scared parents tried to find ways to bring her back safely to India. The embassy was shut, roads were blocked, bridges were broken, and they were also scared of the possible ordeal of Vaibhavi having to walk all the way to Poland to be picked up so she could come back. Her mother Kumudini says, “We had a whatsapp group of parents, we were all trying to get our children back. Everyone was fearful. Then, Vaibhavi told us she didn’t want to come back. I can’t express how I felt at that moment. Every day in the news we would see, this group is back to India, that group is back. Only my Vaibhavi was left there.”
But Vaibhavi’s parents also became her biggest support. Since then, they have been checking on her everyday, getting updates of the situation, and praying for everyone’s safety. They have seen the war through Vaibhavi’s eyes. “At the end of the day, she updates us on everything, we have asked her to inform us when the sirens go off. We try to lend her moral support, so that the next day she has the energy to start all over again”, said Vinayak Nazare, her father. Her younger brother shares pictures giving updates of him training for martial arts. The internet has kept them in touch.
Through all this, Vaibhavi saw Kyiv change from a bustling city, with stores open 24/7 to long curfews. Now after installation of the anti-missile systems, the curfew time is 12 midnight to 5 am, anytime she works after that, she stays put in the hospital.
She is also learning the local language with help from colleagues, senior doctors and her friends. “Most students from my batch returned back to English speaking countries. The support I am getting here from everyone motivates me everyday. It feels great to get whole-hearted acceptance at your workplace.”
Vaibhavi had decided to be a doctor when she was just 3, and without ever changing her mind, she continuously worked in that direction. “It’s rewarding to do what I love. I think I will excel if I give my everything to this, everyday. My parents have been my biggest support. Their understanding and trust has propelled me this far. I don’t know if I will ever be able to reciprocate this in any form”, she said.
After she moved to Ukraine in 2017, she has only met her family once in 2019. “My daughter has served for so long there, but no one here has taken cognisance, except the media,” said Vinayak.
Her parents’ wish is that she gets a letter of appreciation from the government, which would push other girls from the country to excel in their careers. Kumudini says, “We feel proud, our girl from Pune is making a name in Europe”.
When the invasion took place, Vaibhavi’s scared parents tried to find ways to bring her back safely to India. 
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