Topic > The issue of medical care in Ukraine

What are human rights? Well, they are essential rights for all human beings, regardless of sex, race or any other status. Everyone is entitled to these rights without discrimination. But do you feel you have been afforded all your rights? Unfortunately, not all people get them in places like Ukraine. An example of a human right taken away from Ukrainian citizens is the right to medical care. Everyone is capable of acquiring the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. We all have access to medical services, sanitation, adequate food, a clean environment, etc. Overall, every human being is able to get medical services when needed, even in Ukraine; which unfortunately is a country currently torn apart by war. Our rights are indivisible and cannot be taken away from us. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHow is medical care taken away from Ukrainian citizens? In reality, Russia is currently attempting to invade Ukraine. Ukraine seemed like the easiest country to invade in Russia's eyes because they are neighbors; Ukraine borders Russia to the east and northeast. With troops sent to Ukraine by Russia, they are hurting innocent citizens, forcing them to need medical care, and fast. Many buildings are collapsing due to the war, including hospitals, so this is another factor in the limited healthcare. But there are still many hospitals, but they are starting to turn away some patients because they are not injured badly enough. According to MSF, an international medical humanitarian organization, “people are being deprived of care when they need it most, and this is simply unacceptable” (MSF). Many people agree with this statement, that this must stop. Something has to happen soon, people are dying. Numerous people go to hospital seeking help, but are told that they are not injured enough to be treated. They have other patients to treat who are more brutally injured. It is said that “Eastern Ukraine is on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe as its health care collapses” (Stracansky). The sad part is that this is true. People are slowly dying or fleeing the country because of what is currently happening. People can't even feel comfortable in their own country. Imagine living happily with your family one day and having another country invade your hometown the next. Creepy right? All Ukrainian citizens want is a safe place to live where they can visit doctors whenever they want, if only there were enough intact hospitals. Families are destroyed; this is just devastating. Medical care in Ukraine is slowly dying out. Ukraine has had a bad reputation when it comes to medical care from the beginning. They have never been known as a country with easy access to healthcare. In fact, they have “one of the worst HIV and AIDS epidemics in the world” (Stracansky). Meanwhile, because people with diseases like these cannot be cured, the disease is spreading across the country. They are making life more difficult for themselves. Since hospitals can't even treat the diseases that spread, people die quickly. It seems that people with diseases like HIV go to hospital for treatment, but never do. They enter the hospital lobby and come out the same, with no difference in their health. The government's funding cut has put hospitals in a bad situation.They know they can't buy enough supplies to go around because they can't afford it anymore. The Ukrainian government stopped funding all hospital budgets, resulting in the deaths of many people. It's disturbing that people don't realize what they're doing when they do it. “The humanitarian health crisis in Ukraine is serious. Insecurity, displacement, cold climate, combined with the poor state of the country's healthcare system, mean that basic healthcare is out of reach” (Sarchet). Living conditions in Ukraine are making the spread of disease even worse. No one can really do much about the weather, but there are other options to make up for the terrible things that happen. Speaking of living conditions, “Water and electricity supplies have been disrupted in Donetsk and Lugansk, and 50 health facilities in the country have been at least partially destroyed by fighting or looting” (Sarchet). This shows how terrible the current living conditions are in some cities. People are living without running water, it's almost like they're in a survivor show. They need to look for water to keep them hydrated. This should not be a comparison to everyday life situations. Hopefully this will all end. The ruin of hospitals is not the only cause of the lack of medical care. Some hospital employees flee or die. “Many Ukrainian health workers have died or fled, leaving the country struggling with tuberculosis and at risk of polio and measles infections” (Sarchet). With fewer workers, there are not enough people to treat citizens suffering from serious health problems, such as tuberculosis, which could endanger many others. Also, people who work in the hospital get sick because they are not as hygienic as they should be. Hospitals are moving more slowly and fewer and fewer patients are being treated every day. Very few people are cured and these are only the people who almost died. Without funds, there is a shortage of medical supplies. “Vaccination coverage is well below 50%, exposing the population to the risk of preventable infectious diseases such as polio and measles” (Sarchet). Due to a shortage of medical supplies, the hospital cannot even treat the most serious illnesses. People are not treated for diseases like polio and measles. In some places in Ukraine, diseases like these are spreading like wildfire and killing more and more people. This is enormously aggravating. When will it end? What do Ukrainian citizens have to say about this tragedy? They are furious at this lack of rights. Not many people share their opinion, perhaps because they are afraid of what might happen if they did. But a brave soul named Andriy Klinemko stepped up. “The patient OST Andriy Klinemko who was forced to flee Donetsk with his wife when their house was destroyed by bombing” (Stracansky). You have a certain medical need that requires treatment. He needs opioid substitution therapy (OST) to treat his need. It is a drug taken under medical supervision. He was forced to leave his home and take his wife with him to find a hospital that could help him. He moved together with several other OST patients to central Ukraine. If he hadn't moved, he could have died. Surviving means moving for some citizens, they need care so badly they would do anything. There are also people who have mental problems who need help, but they are not being treated either. “The emotional consequences of heavy fighting continue to increase. People in eastern Ukraine have been exposed to traumatic events, such as bombings, shootings and fleeing from their homes” (MSF).Some of the emotional problems may date back years, while others may stem from the war happening around them. Despite being exposed to very violent weapons and a lack of sanitation, “people arrive [in hospitals] with wounds affected by diseases caused by the lack of sanitation in the basements and air raid shelters where they had to hide from the constant bombing ” (UNICEF ). This demonstrated how sporadic security is in Ukraine. People need serious help, physically and mentally. What has Ukraine become? Furthermore, how exactly are citizens being hurt? People enter hospitals with both physical and mental problems. They may have gunshot wounds or anxiety about seeing others get seriously hurt. “Hospitals have been bombed, tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and thousands of casualties have been reported” (MSF). People's lives will change forever after being injured. They may wonder why Russia is doing this to them. But no one knows exactly. Nobody wants to call it an invasion because they don't want Russia to get this image in their head and actually invade. Many citizens believe so, but no one will know until all this is over. It better happen very soon. What is being done about this disastrous event taking place in Ukraine? Many people from other countries, such as the United States, are starting to help. There are large organizations like UNICEF that come to the rescue. “The kits were distributed to medical institutions, hospitals and polyclinics that mainly deal with displaced people, including children” (UNICEF). This was a huge help from those who are willing to support the citizens of Ukraine. The government has done almost nothing to prevent the population from declining. Yet they have begun to impose travel restrictions in some parts of Ukraine. “Travel restrictions imposed by the Ukrainian government have contributed to serious delays in the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly medicines and medical equipment, to civilians in rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine” (Belyakov). With so many people fleeing for help, they are starting to realize this and are imposing travel restrictions. Some places are becoming overpopulated and this puts a strain on hospitals as they have more patients coming in for care. This isn't helping anyone, it's just causing more deaths. Do they think people want to leave their homes? NO! They only do it because they have to, to survive. However, the government helped somewhat. They began to improve their armed forces. They began to accumulate along the Russian-Ukrainian border to defend themselves from the Russians. Furthermore, other countries are working to push the president and his soldiers out of Ukraine, because they are punishing him. They are imposing several sets of very harsh economic sanctions. It appears that several countries are forming an unofficial alliance. Will the plan work? Let's hope so. Citizens begin to have to rely on humanitarian groups, such as UNICEF, to donate any medical services. If no one helps, an entire city could die. If a person has a disease and cannot cure it, then people cannot leave to avoid it. He will move among the citizens until they are all sick. To shed light on the fact, there are other organizations starting to help. Administrations such as MSF that “have responded to these supply shortages by providing medical supplies to treat more than 6,300 war wounded in hospitals” (MSF). Donated supplies include hygiene kits, which contain materials like soap for cleaning and making sure no one gets sick, or dental supplies.