Have You Ever Seen a Dog Eating a Person’s Body: Anton Dovgopol About How He Had to Be Both a Military Doctor and a Military Chaplain

A few days ago, the chief doctor of the Irpin Central City Hospital Anton Dovgopol together with his colleagues buried 67 civilians and defenders of Ukraine on the territory of the church in Bucha. Some of them weren’t even identified. In addition, Anton Dovgopol managed to evacuate not only the staff but also the patients to the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital. The editorial office of the Irpinskyi Visnyk spoke with the head of the medical institution and asked what it was like to be not only a military doctor but also a military chaplain.

Since the beginning of the war, you had to not only treat and save the people’s lives but also bury them. How did you feel about it? Or was it not the right time for emotions?
I don’t know how to explain it. Have you ever seen a little dog eating some person’s body? We didn’t have another option, we did what we could. Because the occupiers, who seized our medical institution from the 3rd day of the Russian-Ukrainian war, did not allow us to take out the bodies or bury them humanely. They forbade us to leave, but we managed not only to leave by ourselves but also evacuate many people under fire from the Russian enemy before the “green corridor” was even available.

Among the people we evacuated were those who were left in the hospital by their children. By the way, I couldn’t evacuate my parents, they did not want to leave their hometown.

 

How many people died? 67 or more? Were they defenders or there were also civilians who got under fire?

 Yes, there were 67 dead people, 33 of whom we were able to identify. Among them 3 fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the others were civilians. We couldn’t identify the rest of the people. All of the information was given to the police and the prosecutor’s office.

 

How did you manage to get your head together to get through that hell?

 I love my wife and children very much and do everything for them. Now I need to solve the housing issue because our house was destroyed by the Russians, and I will continue to do my job and defend Ukraine with a gun in my hands until the victory. The people want to present me with an award from the President. I don’t need any awards; the main thing is that this should end and that everyone be alive and together with their families.

Earlier we wrote that the Irpin Central City Hospital, which worked for 17 days under occupation, transported its patients and medical staff to the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital. Despite the occupation, the medical facility operated as usual and was provided with everything necessary.