In order to continue providing maternity care during air raids and bombings, medical staff at the regional maternity hospital in Poltava, central Ukraine, built a fully functioning operating theatre in the basement in a matter of weeks after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s been invaluable – numerous babies have been delivered there and major surgeries successfully carried out.
It’s also one of the health clinics fully equipped with a gynaecological suite provided by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF) via its Ukraine partner organisation, the NGO Woman Health and Family Planning Charity Foundation (WHFP).
According to IPPF, the sexual and reproductive health impacts, both immediate and long-term, of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are numerous and widespread. They include an increase in sexual violence (mainly against women but also some men) and a rise in demand for abortions.
