Quebec doctor returns from Ukraine-Poland border after treating refugees
A doctor from St. Jérôme, Que. has returned home from the Polish-Ukrainian border where he was providing care for refugees.
Dr. Julien Auger went to the border earlier this month with a plan to help those fleeing the war zone created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"It was really for the refugees to cross the border to flee their country and, at this border point, we had a medical tent for primary care and emergency care," Auger told CTV News.
Shortly after leaving three weeks ago, his plans to enter Ukraine and help in a hospital changed.
"There had been many attacks and shellings on hospitals and humanitarian corridors so I decided, as the days passed, I would not cross the border," he said.
He eventually settled in Hrebenne, a small town in Poland, treating people who had been through long journeys to get there.
"They had to drive for multiple days often and they had to wait up to 16 hours just to cross the border," said Auger.
If he could go back and do it again, he would have left Quebec earlier.
"The day before I arrived, there was a death of a 50-year-old man who had a seizure because he didn’t have access to his medication and the problem for the providers there was they couldn’t intubate him," he said.
He knows, however, that he helped a lot of people.
"It was really a wake-up call that our peace and our comfort, it’s not to be taken for granted," he said. "It’s pretty fragile."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.