In the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine, a unique Israeli delegation traveled in recent days to Lviv. Dispatched by the One Heart organization in cooperation with Bnai Zion Medical Center, the mission aims to treat war-wounded patients with severe eye injuries and, for the first time in the country, to help establish an advanced local infrastructure for ophthalmic care.
Since the outbreak of the war, there has been a sharp rise in the number of patients with severe eye injuries, including shrapnel wounds, blast-related injuries, burns, and penetrating trauma, sometimes resulting in severe and irreversible disability. Some of the patients currently being evaluated in Lviv are expected to travel to Israel in the near future, where they will undergo complex surgeries and hospital-based rehabilitation. As part of the project, One Heart donated advanced medical equipment to establish a prosthetic eye service — an area that until now had not existed in Ukraine at a dedicated professional level and is considered a groundbreaking addition to the country's healthcare system.
At the core of the delegation are Dr. Yoav Verdizer, an ophthalmic surgeon at Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa, and Shir Diner, a medical student. Both place a strong emphasis on knowledge-sharing and hands-on training for Ukrainian medical teams, including physicians, nurses, and paramedical professionals, with the aim of enabling the continued, independent treatment of the wounded within the country amid ongoing fighting.
Speaking from Ukraine, Dr. Verdizer shares: "This is a distinctly humanitarian mission, grounded in professional and human solidarity and in the conviction that medical knowledge saves lives. Some of the fighters wounded on the battlefield will undergo life-changing surgeries in Israel. Our work extends beyond the operating room to include training and supporting healthcare systems functioning under sustained pressure. We are proud to stand with our brothers in distress and to contribute our knowledge and expertise to improving the lives of others.
"The current initiative is part of a large-scale project that began in August 2023, following a direct request from the management of the local hospital and the mayor of Lviv to One Heart," says Shir Diner, the project manager. "Unfortunately, the delegation's deployment was postponed due to the outbreak of the war in Israel. Nevertheless, cooperation between the two countries has continued, and in recent months Ukrainian medical teams have traveled to Israel to train with Israeli specialists — all this while both countries are coping with ongoing fighting."
