Injured Evacuating Students from Yerevan Medical University Remains Committed to Becoming a Doctor

The rector of Yerevan State Medical University, Armen Muradyan, introduced Albert Meyroyan, a student who sustained serious injuries while evacuating the wounded during the recent fighting.

Albert Meyroyan graduated from the Yerevan State Medical University college and served as a military medic in Artsakh. He was stationed in Mataghis when the war broke out.

"On September 11, I went to Mataghis and started my service. Everything was going very well; I really enjoyed my job and felt appreciated. On September 27, I was in Mataghis. I woke up to the sound of shelling early in the morning. At first, we didn’t understand what was happening; we thought engineering works were being conducted. But when the second and third shells exploded closer to us, we realized that a war had started," recalls Albert Meyroyan.

His responsibility at the front lines was to provide first aid to wounded soldiers, eliminate life-threatening scenarios for the injured, and transfer them first to the company's medical post for a secondary examination, to relieve their pain, stop bleeding, and quickly evacuate wounded from the front lines. "We did whatever was necessary to save lives and swiftly transferred them to the hospital. Everyone we managed to bring to the medical post received help; they survived, continue treatment, and some have already recovered," notes Albert.

According to Albert, they required nothing special to provide first aid to the wounded. "The hardest days were the first ones of the war; there was a bit more panic," admits the future doctor. The sound of explosions might be unusual, but it quickly becomes commonplace for the soldiers of the white army, urging them forward to save the lives of soldiers jeopardized in defense of their homeland.

"We understood that our work at that moment was the most important thing. The guys who weren't afraid pushed forward to retain the land; they needed to survive, and we were aware we couldn't leave them behind. At that point, it was no longer important whether the enemy was targeting us or whether they would shoot down our vehicle with drones; we always went forward, trying to help, evacuating the wounded, and assisting as many people as possible. The moment we heard the sound of the vehicle, we understood there were injured, we would rush out; one doctor, one medic—splitting into teams and organizing their medical assistance," recalls Albert of his days in war.

During the conflict, Albert was severely injured, suffering burns to his respiratory tract and several other injuries. He spent a week in intensive care. "On the evening of October 2, the enemy started intense shelling towards the Armenian side. The fire was concentrated; the enemy was also targeting us. We left the medical post to evacuate the wounded to safer areas and realized there were still people left at the front lines that needed to be transferred back. Together with the chief of the medical service and a medic, we went after the wounded in our vehicle, explaining the situation and also requesting an additional vehicle from the hospital. Three vehicles were sent after us. We couldn’t stay in the same place anymore as we were being targeted by the enemy. We escorted the wounded several hundred meters through an open area while the enemy was just 700 meters away from us. The vehicles sent from the hospital reached us, and we loaded the injured and moved on. I genuinely don’t remember what happened next. The incident occurred on the way to the hospital," recalls Albert.

The vehicle exploded; miraculously, three out of the seven people inside survived, including him. Albert Meyroyan is still recovering and may undergo another surgery. The war has not changed his plans. He intends to apply to YSMU this year or next, aspiring to become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. "I will try to become a more useful person," sums up the war participant.

His frontline service has further solidified his intention to become a doctor. "I will help people continue their lives; I want to improve people's lives from a medical perspective," says Albert Meyroyan.

Albert, a graduate of YSMU college, emphasizes that the horrific war scenes he witnessed cannot even be portrayed in films. He believes that no matter how terrifying the plot of a movie might be, it cannot compare to the script of this war. Albert vividly remembers the powerful impact on the vehicle parked near the medical post. Fortunately, they managed to organize emergency medical assistance quickly and transfer the injured to the hospital.

Doctors working in the field have been inspired by the heroism of soldiers. "We were in the early days of the war when transporting the wounded; we saw our tank crew moving forward, kicking up dirt and dust as they pushed back the enemy forces, and we shouted for them to keep going. You cannot express the emotions in words," emphasizes Albert.

During the grueling days of war, the healthcare workers shared a common desire: to establish communication with their families. "So that our loved ones wouldn’t worry, we could fulfill our mission of saving lives. We didn’t think about ourselves; we thought about our families, hoping we could send at least a letter informing them that we were alive." The soldier of the white army is gradually recovering and assures that he is ready to return to service if necessary.