Lugansk, Ukraine
Luke Society Lugansk
Doctors with the Luke Society clinic in Lugansk, Ukraine, have been forced to take a different path to medical care following a war that has broken out in the country. The ministry has moved from a regular clinical care model to one offering humanitarian aid to those in need.
The partnership with the Luke Society was formed in 2013. About the time the remodeled clinic offices were to open, the region found itself in the middle of a war zone. The exact direction of the ministry’s future is unclear, but physicians working in the ministry want to continue reaching out to the people in Jesus’ name.
Three doctors are working with the ministry in Lugansk. One works with internal medicine, another is a urologist and a third is a pediatric neurologist. They continue to provide consultations and medications, but medical supplies in the region are scarce.
Despite the struggles, the men are providing a service that no one else can provide. They also offer to pray with patients and share the Good News of the Gospel with them.
Dr. Alexander Shevchenko
About the ministry:
Name: Luke Society Lugansk
Location: Lugansk, Ukraine
Director: Dr. Alexander Shevchenko
Partnership: 2014-present
Staff: 8
Our mission:
“Our mission is to bring the Good News to every person and opportunity, and to reveal that God loves everybody and wishes to save them. Through conscientious medical care as physicians, we have the possibility to touch the intimate spheres of a person and show the true cause of the disease of sin. And then we offer a way out — reconciliation with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Why I love being a director:
“As a ministry director, I love when new volunteers join the ministry; when I have the possibility to introduce any patient to Jesus; and when I see the fruits of our ministry.”
About Ukraine:
Population: 43.7 million
Size: 603,550 sq. km, or slightly smaller than Texas.
Capital: Kiev
Borders: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the west; Belarus to the north; Russia to the north and east; Black Sea to the south.
Religious groups: Eastern Orthodox, 65.4%; Catholic, 6.5%; Protestant, 1.9%
Primary language: Ukrainian; Russian.
Literacy (age 15+): 99.8%
Physician density: 3.0 doctors per 1,000 people.
Population below international poverty line: 1.1%
Life expectancy: 73.2 years
Infant mortality rate: 7.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Major exports: Metals, fuel, petroleum, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment.
Climate: Temperate continental; cool winters along the Black Sea to cold inland; warm summers in most of the country.
Terrain: Mostly fertile plains and plateaus; Carpathian Mountains in the west.
