A Ukrainian doctor who left her home country before Russia’s full-scale invasion hopes to return to practising medicine after volunteering at a stroke rehabilitation unit.
Olena Ipek, 30, has spent the past nine months at Westbrook House in Margate while studying for the exams needed to qualify as a doctor in the UK.
She said adjusting to life in England had been challenging, with language barriers and cultural differences making it difficult to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system.
Ipek said: “When I see the patients improving I see that it is worth my time. We play games, do crafts, talk with them and spend time with them. It makes them happy being with us volunteers.”
Born and raised in Kyiv, Ipek graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University before completing postgraduate training in paediatric and working in hospitals and community clinics across the Kyiv region.
But in 2021, as concerns grew over a build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine’s borders, she and her husband, Baris, decided to leave.
They moved to Turkey before settling in Kent.
In December she started at Westbrook House, initially shadowing experienced volunteers, before taking on her own responsibilities and supporting patients independently.