In Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, 3 new mobile teams from UNFPA Ukraine are working to provide sexual and reproductive health services, as well as to respond to gender-based violence.
The teams consist of a gynecologist, family doctor, nurse or obstetrician and social worker and provide medical services in rural areas along the contact line.
In particular, mobile teams provide the following services:
- Maternity Protection. These are mainly prenatal and postnatal treatment, including blood pressure, weight, height measuring, Leopold's maneuver, fetal heart rate measurement, risk assessment of pregnancy complications and high-risk cases, and referral to specialized (secondary and tertiary) care, if needed; gynecological examination to check for sexually transmitted diseases.
- Family planning and contraception counseling (pills, condom, IUD (intrauterine device) and injection contraceptives).
- General and individual counseling on women's health, including sexual and reproductive health, pre- and postnatal care, maternal health, breastfeeding, nutrition, hygiene and care for newborns and children.
- Prevention, diagnostics and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, rapid testing of pregnant women and the populations at risk of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C.
- Meeting sexual and reproductive health needs of women with disabilities. In particular, in 2017, UNFPA provided adjustable obstetric and gynecological chairs with special functions for screening women with disabilities to 10 emergency healthcare facilities.
- Distribution of educational and awareness materials on sexual and reproductive health issues, prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, and referral to specialized services for victims.
- Medical, social-psychological, legal support to victims of gender-based violence. Medical staff will provide medical advice, post-exposure prevention of HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancy; the social worker will provide social, psychological, legal assistance and referrals to other institutions offering support or assistance to victims of violence.
Mobile teams started operating since June 22, from Volnovakha and Bakhmut districts of the Donetsk oblast, and Popasna District of Luhansk oblast.
The teams are equipped with portable electrocardiography devices, ultrasound equipment, including gynecological transducers. Every team has rapid tests for blood glucose and hepatitis B, C, syphilis and HIV available. For the cytological sample analysis for cervical cancer, the laboratories of Donetsk and Luhansk oncology centers, as well as Popasna district laboratories will be engaged.
In the first ten days, mobile teams traveled to the most hard-to-reach locations of the following districts:
Donetsk oblast
- Bakhmut district: Zvanivka, Pokrovsk, Klynove, Myronivka, Opytne, Mayorsk, Zelenopillya, Pereyizne, Dronivka, Luhanske.
- Volnovakha district: Yehorivka, Stepne, Petrivka, Kropyvnytske, Ivanivka, Vilne, Zachativka, Khlibodarivka, Dianivka.
Luhansk oblast:
- Popasna district: Hirske, Troitske, Svitlychne, Katerynivka, Nyzhnye, Popasna, Druzhba, Toshkivka, Zolote-4, Orikhovo.
Medical teams will service Bakhmut, Volnovakha, Maryinka, Yasynuvata districts and communities of Avdiyivka, Mariupol, Torets city councils of Donetsk oblasts, as well as Stanytsia Luhanska, Popasna, Novoaydarsk, Mylove districts and Shchastya town of Luhansk oblast.
You can ask about the schedule of visits and counseling from your family doctor, as well as obstetricians and primary healthcare workers of the abovementioned districts.
The project is implemented by the UN Population Fund jointly with the partners from the Ukrainian Medical Mission supported by CERF.
