What’s next?
After setting up the rehabilitation facilities and services in Vinnytsia and Kyiv, and providing 18 months of patient care and capacity building of staff, in December 2023, MSF handed over these projects to Mehad, a French NGO managing health and development projects.
All the Ukrainian health specialists – including the physiotherapists and psychologists – are being retained by Mehad, and we have donated our medical and office equipment, as well as two vehicles, to support the continuation of the rehabilitation activities.
With the ongoing war in Ukraine, injuries from landmines, explosions and shelling are still constant, and the need for rehabilitation services remains high. MSF is continuing to support the Ministry of Health by providing physiotherapy training and technical support to hospitals in Zhytomyr region, as well implementing a new rehabilitation project with war-wounded patients in Cherkasy.
As Cherkasy sits in the centre of Ukraine and is quite close to the frontline, many of the patients arrive within the first days of being injured. Our teams commence rehabilitation shortly after surgery or limb amputation, which is crucial to the recovery process. If physiotherapy is delayed, joints can become immobilised, which can make the use of prosthetics impossible in the future.
“Patients with war-related trauma receive early and comprehensive treatment from our multidisciplinary team, who provide physiotherapy, mental health support and nursing care,” says Katerina Serbina, MSF project coordinator for Cherkasy and Zhytomyr.
Fonte original msf.org
