How the war affected Ukrainian hospitals, scientists have determined

In Ukraine, hundreds of hospitals have been forced to close or operate at reduced capacity since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

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The damage, destruction and supply shortages caused by the war deteriorated the country’s hospital system and had a serious impact on people’s health. This is evidenced by the results of a study by scientists from Rutgers University (USA), in which, in particular, Ukrainian specialists took part, reports EurekAlert.

During the study, scientists collected and compared data on hospital services that were provided both before February 23, 2022, and after the outbreak of a full-scale war (through May 30, 2023):

• before the invasion of Ukraine there were about 720 hospitals;
• as of April 2023, 450 hospitals continued to operate. Of these 450 hospitals, 74 hospitals from 12 of the 24 regions not under Russian occupation participated in the study.

The researchers found that while services related to emergency medical care have increased, the number of hospitals offering has decreased:

• laboratory tests (by 13%);
• information about tobacco addiction (by 13%);
• cancer screening (24%);
• gynecological services (by 26%);
• rehabilitation services (by 27%);
• pharmacy services (by 25%);
• telemedicine programs (36%).

Hospitals also reported:

• interruptions in the supply of essential equipment and pharmaceuticals;
• shortage of laboratory test systems;
• delays in the supply of life-saving drugs;
• problems with storing medications caused by power outages;
• reducing the number of staff and increasing the working hours of hospital workers.

This has negatively impacted the health of mothers and newborns, and has reduced the availability of essential services, including ambulances, defibrillators, ventilators and hospital beds, including intensive care beds, the article notes.

It is noted that some of the consequences of the war on the functioning of hospitals and their impact on public health remain to be determined:

• Because some regions in active war zones were inaccessible to the study, the worst affected areas may be underrepresented in the study, and hundreds of hospitals that were destroyed or unable to operate were not represented in the data;
• The study also found that the war has reduced access to vaccines, which could lead to an increase in the incidence of infectious diseases.

Ukraine’s weakening hospital system means health workers are struggling not only to meet immediate needs, but also to provide essential preventive care and ongoing treatment for chronic diseases, the researchers note. “This could have many negative consequences for the health of the population of Ukraine.

Source: EurekAlert

Source: Racurs

David

I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.