Oksana, who is 26 weeks pregnant, described a harrowing scene in a Kyiv hospital in Ukraine during air raids, with staff scrambling to help patients and newborns into shelters
“When the alarm went off, we were all rushed into the shelter,” she said. “Even the tiniest babies from the neonatal intensive care unit were brought down by nurses and aides, who carried them gently because they are too fragile for the mothers to move them on their own.”
As a massive wave of Russian air strikes hit Ukraine, targeting critical infrastructure and causing widespread damage and casualties, the staff and patients at the Kyiv Regional Perinatal Centre struggle to care for the recent and expectant mothers, with little to no access to electricity.
“It’s nerve-racking to see, especially at night when everyone is already on edge,” Oksana said, holding back tears. “It’s incredibly hard. My family and my husband’s family are in Sumy, where explosions are a daily occurrence. I’m constantly worrying about them, and it definitely affects my health and wellbeing.”
Air strikes trigger complications
For Yuliya, another expectant mother from Irpin, in the Kyiv region, this has become routine.
“I was brought here because of complications exacerbated by the constant stress and anxiety from the attacks,” Yuliya explained. “The ongoing attacks, the alarms, they have a profound impact on both the baby and the mother. It’s not just about me. It’s about my unborn child. The anxiety from knowing an attack could happen at any moment is indescribable.”
Yuliya, spoke about her support network, calling her husband, friends and family “my pillars”.
“We try to hold onto hope, but it’s hard not to think about what kind of future awaits our children,” she said.
Facing bombs and constant instability
As the strikes continue to hammer Ukraine, targeting cities and the country’s energy infrastructure, the hospital’s staff and patients face constant instability.
“Pregnant women are already in a delicate emotional state,” Yuliya added. “Being responsible not just for their own lives, but for the lives of their unborn children and then having to endure attacks and constant alarms. It’s unbearable. We even hear the explosions while we’re in the shelters.”
Crucial for many expecting mothers and newborns in the region, the hospital experienced a blackout in the morning as explosions from the latest air raid caused a power outage.
Another day, another air raid
“Today, we experienced another air raid,” said Dr. Ogorodnyk Artem Oleksandrovych, the head of obstetrics.
“The explosions were close, and we lost power across the entire hospital,” he recalled. “We were operating on generators, but that means certain facilities like elevators are out of service. We prioritise powering critical areas like the neonatal intensive care unit, operating rooms and delivery suites.”Despite these regular hardships, the medical team has adapted to their new reality.
“Over the past years of constant bombardment, we’ve had to become quite resourceful,” Dr. Ogorodnyk explained. “We had to perform an emergency procedure in complete darkness, relying on flashlights from our phones until the generators kicked in. Those seconds feel like an eternity when you’re in the middle of a critical operation.”
‘Childbirth doesn’t wait for safe conditions’
Dr. Ogorodnyk admitted that “working in this environment is challenging, to say the least.”
“We’ve been doing this for three years now, ever since the war began,” he said. “We’ve never stopped working. Childbirth doesn’t wait for safe conditions; we are here 24/7, every day of the year.”
Despite the constant threat, the hospital has had to innovate.
“We have a delivery room in the shelter now,” Dr. Ogorodnyk said. “If we can postpone certain procedures, we do. But. when it’s about delivering babies or performing life-saving surgeries, we have the facilities to do it underground.”
‘The reality is harsh’
Indeed, doctors across Ukraine continue to provide care and support to those who need it most, with perseverance that is as vital as the medical treatment they offer.
UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, supports a wide network of medical facilities and mobile health units across Ukraine, ensuring the delivery of essential sexual and reproductive health supplies and pharmaceuticals, including in Kyiv Regional Perinatal Centre.
UNFPA provides incubators, dignity kits, and barrier-free gynaecological surgery rooms. These services support the existing healthcare system, as government efforts are focused on the ongoing war.
“The reality is harsh,” Dr. Ogorodnyk said, “but we have adapted. We have no choice but to keep going. The lives of our patients depend on it, and we will not fail them, no matter the circumstances.”
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