The Kharkiv Regional Blood Centre operates in an environment where the realities of war are impossible to ignore. Since the start of the war in 2022, the facility has come under attack multiple times.
It is located on the outskirts of Kharkiv city, not far from the frontline. “At the beginning of the war, staff and their families lived at the facility,” recalls Oleksandr Tupotilov, who leads the laboratory department. “Later, they were able to return home, and we converted the shelter into a space for working with blood donors and housing some of our laboratory equipment.
There were cases when staff had to work wearing helmets and body armour so that, even during the threat of shelling, they could carry out blood tests in a timely manner and provide assistance to patients who needed it.”
“Every step in the process matters”
Just a month ago, there was a direct hit on the facility’s grounds.
“Shrapnel was scattered across the entire site. Our colleagues took it very hard. Most of our staff live nearby and some live even closer to the frontline than to the city centre. Many had their cars and personal property damaged. People come to work not knowing whether they will arrive safely that day. Strikes on warehouses, fuel stations and nearby businesses have become an almost weekly reality,” says Oleksandr.
Despite these challenges, staff continue to report for work daily, and the blood centre continues to operate without interruption. The team’s greatest source of strength is the support they provide to one another.
“What inspires me most are our people. We are a very supportive team. Every member of our staff has humanity. We understand the responsibility of our work and support each other. Every step in the process matters, as timely access to blood for transfusion can be critical. People’s lives depend on it.”
Overcoming challenges
The centre relies primarily on regular donors who return consistently to give blood. When there is a need for a specific blood type or a particular donor, staff contact people directly. However, due to the security situation, not everyone feels safe travelling to the facility, and so the team has also made an increasing number of blood collection visits.
As they prepare for another challenging winter, generators, fuel reserves and well-established contingency plans have also become an integral part of daily operations at the centre. “As during previous winters, we plan to continue working no matter the circumstances,” Oleksandr insists.
Building resilience
To maintain high standards of blood safety in wartime, the Kharkiv Regional Blood Centre participates in training programmes organized by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, with support from the government of the Netherlands.
The initiative helps strengthen laboratory capacity, improve the accuracy and reliability of blood screening procedures, and enhance preparedness for emergency and crisis situations. It also contributes to reducing the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections and supports patient safety across Ukraine.
By building technical expertise and institutional resilience, these efforts are helping to safeguard essential blood services and strengthen Ukraine’s health system during the war and throughout the country’s recovery.
By enhancing the quality of diagnostic services provided by laboratories, the initiative also seeks to safeguard public health through timely and accurate disease detection.