Aid organizations operating in the midst of a ravaging war are doing what they can. Both Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross compare the situation in Ukraine to the war in Syria, where fighting has taken place as a civil war among civilians.
Executive Director of the Finnish branch of Doctors Without Borders Linda Konaten according to him, the key is to ensure that medical care at all remains operational in the midst of war.
To date, the organization has delivered the first batch of medical supplies to Ukraine, which is in dire need. The organization has logistics centers in Brussels, Belgium and Bordeaux, France. The supplies were delivered on a relatively fast schedule about a week ago, although there is no air traffic to the country.
– In the first phase, we supported local hospitals. Now we look at how our own teams can get moving and where the need is greatest at the moment. Of course, you also have to evaluate what is safe when there are widespread active battles, Konate says.
The situation is alive every day
The situation may change in an instant, emphasizes the Finnish Red Cross (SPR) International Disaster Relief Manager Marko Korhonen.
SPR has fifteen people in Ukraine or on the border to help with logistics, among other things. The organization is building three logistics routes to western and southeastern Ukraine from Poland, Slovakia and Romania to receive large quantities of relief supplies. In addition, warehouses are being built and, at the same time, help should be given to its destination.
– Water has been a critical factor, at least in the territory of eastern Ukraine. The availability of clean water is very poor, especially in areas where fighting has taken place. In addition, these are very sad cases that have been besieged, as Mariupol says, Korhonen says.
According to him, there is also a shortage of food and special first aid supplies for the treatment of those wounded in the war.
Hospitals are preparing for the approach of fighting
According to the medical association Konate, international personnel are constantly being added to Ukraine, and one helper is leaving Finland on the spot as well.
– Hospitals are now preparing for any closer battles. There are now requests for support for trauma surgery and emergency care from various hospitals.
In addition, it would be important, especially for young children and pregnant women, to have safe access to treatment when needed.
According to Konate, one of the special features of Ukraine is that there are a lot of elderly people living there.
– They have their own needs related to chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, he says.
Conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Ukraine vary across the country.
– Especially when there is an urban war, it is a really challenging environment. Many people are now hiding in basements, for example, and if people are gathered in the basement, diseases can spread there, for example.
Dozens of injured patients can come to the hospital at once
About a third of the medical supplies supplied to Ukraine by Doctors Without Borders were immediately sent to Kiev because of serious concerns about the readiness to treat patients.
– We also have a team in Mariupol and the situation there is really critical. Water and food are out, and there is no electricity and heating. It would be important to ensure that more humanitarian aid is taken there as soon as possible, Konate says.
In Odessa, for example, the situation is still not so bad, at least for the time being. However, there are also preparations for the treatment of the wounded, for which local actors have requested training from Doctors Without Borders.
Dozens of patients injured in the bombings can come to the hospital at a time in dozens, which a normal hospital may not have experienced. In this case, it is the same as a major accident.
– We have quite a lot of experience with these and we are also training (local actors) how to organize the situation. After all, you have to act really fast and try to save as many lives as possible.
Volunteers deceased in the past
Does the current situation in Ukraine compare to any of Konate’s previous experiences?
– I myself have been in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Ethiopia, and a little different is how quickly the change took place. Other wars – such as Syria and Yemen – have seen the war come to the cities and have serious consequences for civilians.
In the case of the war in Ukraine, Konatea is particularly concerned about the fighting between the people.
– There have also been cities in Syria where people have been besieged for a long time. They have been stuck and have not escaped safely or received help. That is one phenomenon that is of particular concern here.
Korhonen from SPR also ends up in the same comparison as Konate.
– Perhaps the war in Syria could be the closest if we look at armed conflicts. There have been humanitarian corridors and negotiations between the parties. That work has been extremely dangerous and the attacks have been carried out in such a way that the Red Cross volunteers have also died.
Ukrainians and Russians can end up in adjacent hospital beds
Doctors Without Borders is impartial and operates in Ukraine and the surrounding areas, as well as in Belarus and Russia. The action is determined by the need for help.
– It must not be based on where the patient comes from, but everything is taken care of, Konate emphasizes.
In principle, it could also happen that a Ukrainian and a Russian could land in a hospital set up by the organization with adjacent laurels. However, Konate does not recall from her own career that there has never been a conflict between those in need of care in hospitals.
– Guns must be taken off before entering the hospital. As long as a person is in a hospital or health center, for example, he is a patient, Konate describes the practice in their hospitals around the world.
Millions of refugees on the move because of the war
A large number of refugees from Ukraine have accumulated, for example in the western city of Lviv, as they have not yet been able to cross the border. Refugees are supported within the country and at the borders where mobile clinics are located, especially for mental first aid.
– From there, people move to European countries with good resources and local organizations to help. The needs are greatest within Ukraine, where people are directly affected by the attacks due to active warfare, says Konate.
According to the Korhonen of the SPR, the need for human assistance due to the war in Ukraine is massive for both internally displaced and exiled refugees.
“We are talking about millions of people who will need help, even if there is a ceasefire or peace today,” he says.
When will the aid organizations have to leave?
How bad must the situation develop in a crisis area for an organization to leave the situation behind? According to Konate, there is no single answer to this.
– It is a continuous analysis from the perspective of both our own employees and the patients we treat. Our main goal is to help those most in need, and the challenge is that insecure war zones tend to have the greatest needs.
Konate recalls the temporary cessation of operations in Afghanistan and Yemen when warfare has come too close. That is not at all desirable.
– We hope that humanitarian aid and the protection of medical care will be respected. In all situations of war and conflict, we seek to negotiate with all parties so that we can deliver humanitarian aid safely. That means everyone also has access to help.
How do you assess the situation in Ukraine?
– It’s really hard to predict. In these battlefields, we hope that nursing will remain functional and put all our energy into it.
“As long as the logo is respected”
Korhonen of SPR says that the organization will continue its work as long as their brand is still respected.
– That is, both parties recognize the brand and do not consider it a target, he says.
On the other hand, the active fighting situation is also an obstacle to the delivery of aid, so the parties must provide space and allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
– We cannot risk the lives of aid workers.
The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross will continue its work in central and eastern Ukraine.
– They are still in Kiev, Kharkiv and Mariupol, attend meetings on bomb shelters and are in daily contact with the field. We are prepared for the need for help for a long time.