In Poland, Ukrainian woman was evicted from rehabilitation centre after suffering stroke, - media. PHOTOS
A 39-year-old Ukrainian woman from the Kharkiv region found herself in difficult circumstances after suffering a stroke whilst in Poland.
According to Censor.NET, this is reported in an article by the Polish publication Gazeta Wyborcza.
The woman, named Viktoria, left for Poland in March 2022 from the village of Rohan in the Kharkiv region following shelling. Initially, she lived with her father in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, where she worked at an enterprise.
Stroke and rehabilitation
In 2024, Viktoria lost her father to cancer. She subsequently suffered a stroke herself, which led to paralysis of all her limbs. Thanks to regular rehabilitation, she managed to make a partial recovery — after a few months, she was able to sit in a wheelchair, eat independently and speak.
The Ukrainian woman underwent rehabilitation at a social care home in Krosno, where she had the necessary facilities for her recovery.
Eviction due to legislative changes
In early March 2025, new rules regarding support for Ukrainian refugees came into force in Poland. They restrict access to social services, including accommodation in long-term care centres.
It was these changes that led to Viktoria’s eviction from the rehabilitation centre. She was transferred to a homeless shelter in Jarosław.
"We found out on 3 or 4 March that Viktoria could no longer stay with us and would be sent to a shelter, and on 5 March the new law came into force. She cried for two nights. What happened to her is inhumane," said staff at the social care facility.
She is currently living in a room with several other people, which makes it much harder for her to get around in her wheelchair. Despite this, she continues to do her exercises to recover from her stroke.
Victoria herself admits that she wants to return to her previous place of residence, where she had a private room and access to rehabilitation, as well as the opportunity to see her mother, who is in a hospice.
According to Ihor Horkiv, Vice-President of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, other Ukrainians who cannot afford to rent accommodation may find themselves in a similar situation.
An additional problem is that people with disabilities in Poland can only obtain accommodation if they hold the relevant Polish certificate.
- Incidentally, Bloomberg previously reported that there has been a rise in crimes and hate incidents against Ukrainians in Poland.
