The invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, strongly affected the country’s healthcare system, which was already inadequate before the war. More than 269 attacks have hit hospitals, clinics and other structures, according to WHO (World Health Organization), but that number is likely to be much higher.
The situation poses a serious threat to millions of Ukrainians. In the east of the country, it is estimated that only 15% of health workers work in the region.
Faced with the precariousness and lack of perspective regarding the end of the conflict, associations and NGOs are organizing to relocate the war-wounded and chronically ill patients, as well as basic care, which includes vaccination and monitoring of pregnant women. sample.
Gustavo Fernandez, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Ukraine, told the program: Priority Santegives RFIHe said that the living conditions of the underground population, which is under constant threat of attack, are getting harder and harder. He describes that the removal of the wounded is always a complex operation, depending on the city in which it takes place.
“We try to keep in touch with local volunteers and people who know the internal situation well. We also try to be close to the doctors and nurses who stay in the cities and know the population well, and provide supplies on a daily basis. To ensure the continuity of medical care,” he said.
The team must also be prepared to act immediately in emergencies, such as transporting patients during bombings. “This is very risky, but we should try to put in place a system that allows for this type of medical evacuation of the civilian population,” he states.
two Ukrainians
The doctor says the impression is that there are “two Ukrainians” today: front, those who have experienced war more closely, and others for whom life is relatively normal. But the hospitals there are overcrowded.
“The further we get from the event front, We come across people who left everything behind and live in big cities today, where the system still works, where international aid comes in, who fully support local systems. But it is clear that the displaced suffer from serious psychological sequelae,” he observes.
Many elderly Ukrainians living close to conflict zones are also physically unable to leave their villages, where they have spent their entire lives. This, reminds the NGO coordinator, increases the likelihood of diseases that will spread among patients.
“At one of our visits, we found 50 elderly people living in pitch darkness in the basement of a hospital. We found 50 elderly people who were narrow, damp, without medicine, without water, without food, with the support of only one supporter. Several members of the hospital administration going on in the area and going back and forth to help them. volunteers,” he says.
correspondent RFI In Ukraine, Stéphane Siohan says the healthcare system had many problems even before the war. He says one of them is corruption. Some apps have become normal because the fees are low. For example, she says she had to distribute money to the maternity team when her son was born five years ago.
social Security
“In reality, it is the patients, not the state, that finances the health system. There have been reform attempts in recent years with the establishment of Social Security, but we are still in the transitional system, the post-Soviet era, we are exhausted. , but it is trying to draw inspiration from the European experience. Now the war has come, to this process harms,” he analyzes.
Raphaël Pitti, a French anesthesiologist who specializes in War Medicine, told RFI that the severity of the situation in Ukraine is comparable to the war in Syria, with massive bombings of civilian populations.
That’s why he says he and his team have created a training center for Ukrainian professionals in Metz, in the east of the country. The courses started in July.
“Overall the important thing is to learn to manage and logistically organize the flow of patients. When an attack occurs, 50% of victims will die from asphyxia or bleeding. damage controlthat is, damage control: removing the victim and providing emergency care to increase their chances of survival before taking them to the hospital,” he explains.
Doctors trained in hospitals in France will also be able to practice war surgery methods known only in Ukraine in military hospitals.
He also explains that it is important to highlight the important role of volunteers. RFI in Ukraine. A large number of civilians are attached to the Ukrainian forces and provide first aid to the wounded during the conflict. front
In any case, at least in the next few months, the war should be at the center of the daily life of many Ukrainians staying in the country: For now, there is no prediction that the conflict will end.
source: Noticias
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