Anton Dovgopol: They Wanted to Make Me the Mayor of the Occupied Bucha, So I Had to Move the Hospital

The Russian occupiers planned to make the head of the Irpin Central City Hospital, Anton Dovgopol, the mayor of the occupied Bucha, so he decided to evacuate all patients and medical staff from the city. The chief doctor told our editorial office about it exclusively.

“The day before yesterday we moved to the Kyiv Regional Hospital, now we are provided with everything we need. We worked in the occupation for 17 days, because literally from the 3^rd day of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, our hospital was occupied by the Russian military. They checked the premises, confiscated documents, searched for the Ukrainian military and police. By that time, we dressed them into white robes and they pretended to be medical staff. We would continue to work in such conditions if the occupiers didn’t want to make me the mayor of the occupied Bucha. Then we had to get out of there and, fortunately, we managed to take everyone out”, said Anton Dovgopol.

According to him, the occupiers tried to take control over the medical institution, but they failed to do so because the team was patriotic and well-coordinated. “The occupiers tried to give the staff some instructions to which they responded: “We have a chief doctor, he did not give us such tasks”. In addition to the fact that I managed to take out the entire team from the occupied Bucha, I also managed to pay the salary, increased, by the way. We also joked that it is good that there is a salary on our cards, but it makes no sense because there is no way to withdraw it”, said the chief doctor of the Irpin Central City Hospital.

Anton Dovgopol said that during the occupation the medical institution worked as usual. “In 17 days of occupation, we treated about 200 people, performed 30 surgeries, and buried 67 people. In addition, 8 children were born and a child was rescued from Vorzel with a bullet in his head, who was not allowed to be evacuated”, he said.

It should be reminded that on March 12, 67 civilians and defenders of Ukraine were buried in a mass grave in Bucha, some of whom weren’t even identified.