Ukraine: Medical relief for women: Direct Relief International

[Hekate]

Quotes from their site, on gender, health, and the war in Ukraine

https://www.directrelief.org/2022/03/gender-health-and-the-war-in-ukraine/

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Today, multiple press reports are confirming that a Russian missile struck a maternity and children’s hospital in the city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Staff and patients, including children, appear to be trapped under the rubble, and total casualty numbers are unknown.

In addition to the obvious human rights violations of deliberately targeting a maternity and children’s hospital, the attack highlights several gendered risks facing civilians in the Ukraine crisis. At such a moment, it’s essential to think about the role that gender and health play in conflict situations, and how best to respond to related needs.
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Maternal Health

Over the past 20 years or so, Ukraine has made significant progress in reducing the risks to women in childbirth. During that time, the maternal mortality ratio went from 35 to 19 people per 100,000.

Access to and quality of health services increased steadily throughout Ukraine’s post-Soviet transition. The current maternal mortality rate places Ukraine at the bottom end of all countries in and around Europe, and roughly on par with the United States.
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According to estimates from the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, roughly four percent of displaced people will be pregnant women, and 15% of those women will require emergency obstetric interventions.

Applying that number to the current 2 million refugees who have left Ukraine, and estimating roughly another 1 million internally displaced persons based on pre-war reports, that would mean there are currently around 120,000 displaced pregnant women in and around Ukraine, with about 18,000 in need of emergency obstetric interventions.

During the conflict, however, women are disproportionately at risk of being cut off to all aspects of quality maternal health throughout the entire cycle of care. On the most extreme level, women who were in the late stages of their pregnancies when the war in Ukraine started are now giving birth while displaced. Some have even given birth in bomb shelters, where they may lack not only skilled birth attendance but even the basic supplies required to give birth safely.

It’s important to remember that many women in Ukraine, particularly those in eastern separatist areas, have been facing the consequences of conflict-related disruptions since 2019
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Ukraine Relief
Direct Relief is working with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and other groups in the region to provide requested medical aid, from oxygen concentrators to critical care medicines – while preparing to offer longer-term aid to people displaced or affected by the war. To date, Direct Relief has deployed more than 25 tons of requested medical aid to Ukraine.

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For more information or to donate, please go to DirectRelief.org
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[littlemissmartypants]

1. Thank you. ❤

🌻🇺🇦❤🇺🇦🌻
Slava Ukraini!

[Hekate]

2. KnR

🌻

[Hekate]

3. KnR