Back to Ukraine: A Doctor’s Commitment to Care

Far North Queensland Doctor, Lara Wieland, has seen firsthand the toll war takes on a country’s healthcare system.

As Managing Director of Only Passing Thru (OPT) Ltd, a volunteer-run charity delivering support in Ukraine, as well as remote Australia and Bangladesh, Dr Wieland travelled to Ukraine in 2023, witnessing the immense pressure on medical teams working in the most challenging conditions. That eye-opening journey enabled her charity to form partnerships with embedded charity organisations and identify critical areas where support is most needed.

The experienced GP who has worked extensively in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health has made four humanitarian trips to the Ukraine since then and is now preparing to travel to the country again. In the coming months, Dr Wieland will lead OPT’s most ambitious deployment yet: a five-month mission to deliver frontline care, run mobile clinics, and train local healthcare workers in war-affected communities.

“It’s a hard thing to step into a country at war,” Dr Wieland says. “But the courage and resilience of the people there is extraordinary, and we feel called to stand alongside them.”

While the team will cover their own travel and accommodation, they are seeking support to fund lifesaving medical equipment, medical training, logistics, and on-the-ground aid that keeps care going for the long term.

Since 2023, OPT has worked alongside trusted local partners, including the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, supporting mobile clinics and strengthening healthcare delivery where it’s needed most.

“Because of the support our charity has received so far, we’ve been able to help build real, on-the-ground impact in Ukraine,” she says.

But Dr Wieland’s vision extends beyond the immediate.

She is also developing MedLearnUke, an online medical education platform designed to support Ukrainian clinicians long after her team returns home. Using Artificial Intelligence for translation, the platform will enable healthcare workers to access training, mentorship and case discussions in real time, with translation tools overcoming language barriers and the online capability enabling its use in unstable environments.

“It means support doesn’t stop when we leave,” Dr Wieland says. “Clinicians can continue learning, connecting and improving patient care, no matter where they are.”

With Ukrainian family heritage, and a career dedicated to rural, remote and Indigenous health in Far North Queensland, Dr Wieland brings both experience and purpose to the mission.

“Five months of mobile clinics, medical training, frontline support, and being where we’re needed most. It’s our most ambitious trip yet, and we cannot do it without you.? Our trip and our work will be fully self-funded but we need support for the work in Ukraine that our partners continue to do and that we are going to support,” she says.

Dr Wieland has also worked as a Senior lecturer at JCU Medicine and a Generalist Medical Trainer in the Atherton Tablelands. To support Dr Wieland and the work of Only Passing Thru, visit: www.passingthrough.net/donating 

Learn more about the campaign:
https://chuffed.org/project/empowering-health-heroes-in-ukraine