Ukraine as the second Syria?

This year's World Health Day takes place in tragic circumstances. In recent weeks, WHO has recorded 82 attacks on Ukrainian hospitals. Among them, the bombing of the Mariupol maternity hospital, whose images spread all over the world. But in the shadow of the events in Ukraine, other, no less dramatic, stories take place. After 11 years of war in Syria, we can see the full scale of suffering brought to the civilian population by years of war and life under constant threat.

- In Ukraine, the key problems now are the shortages of drugs and medical products. The unacceptable attacks on medical facilities make it much more difficult, but not yet paralyzed, for the health service. The war in Syria, where only 63% of hospitals are fully operational after 11 years, shows the effects of a prolonged conflict, says Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart from the Polish Medical Mission, an organization present both in Syria and Ukraine, where it provides medical support to hospitals .

There are regions in Syria that have left up to 50% of the doctors working there. These are not the only threats posed by armed conflict: suspended vaccination programs, lack of treatment for patients with chronic diseases, and difficult access to diagnostics are silent killers who may take more lives with them than the hostilities themselves. These problems are also beginning to affect more and more of the 40 million Ukrainian and Ukrainian women who remained within their country. The UN estimates that up to 12 million people may need medical assistance across our eastern border.

- This number also includes people who need psychological help. They will also be affected by trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition to psychological trauma, the long-term effect of war may also be an increase in the number of people with disabilities. A tragic example is Syria again: about a million Syrians, including over 240,000 children, have amputated limbs - adds Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart.

Polish Medical Mission supports medical facilities both in Syria and Ukraine. In both countries, it helps to supply hospitals with the most necessary medical products. On the Polish-Ukrainian border, the State Museum at Majdanek opened medical points where the most-needed help is provided to people escaping before the war. In Syria, it also supports the operation of the prosthesis center and provides assistance to people with disabilities. The organization constantly raises funds to help as many people in need as possible.

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