London: International football icon David Beckham has handed over control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor working in the war-hit city of Kharkiv.
In a video message, former England captain and Manchester United star Beckham said he wanted to highlight the “amazing work Iryna and health workers like her” are doing to save lives in Ukraine.
Beckham urged his followers – he has more than 71 million on Instagram – to click his stories to know more about Dr Iryna and continue making donations to Unicef. He has been a Unicef ambassador since 2005.
Beckham’s account was flooded with videos and photographs of Dr Iryna, who has been working selflessly amid the relentless shelling and bombardment by Russian forces.
A child anesthesiologist and head of the regional perinatal centre, Dr Iruna posted footage of newborns being treated and a basement to which patients have have been moved to escape from the war.
Dr Iryna said her work had been “24/7” since the Russian invasion, which has led to Ukraine facing heavier-than-expected losses.
“The first days were the most difficult. We had to learn how to work with bombings and strikes,” she said. “We are probably risking our lives but we don’t think about it at all. We love our work. Doctors and nurses here, we worry, we cry but none of us will give up.”
