“Our latest analysis shows a Sharp deterioration in maternal health in Ukraine”said Florence Bauer, UNFPA regional director.
Kherson remains one of the most vulnerable cities in Ukraine because it is located on the Dnieper River, directly across from Russian-controlled territory.
Although Ukrainian forces recaptured the city in late 2022, it has since suffered almost daily shelling from positions across the water.
Civilian sites, including hospitals, are frequently affected, leaving healthcare workers without warning and forcing essential services such as maternity wards to operate underground.
rules of war
“Safe birth must be protected even in war, and international humanitarian law is clear: health facilities, health workers and humanitarian access must never be attacked,” Ms. Bauer stressed.
Since 2022, more than 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, among the 2,763 healthcare facilities affected across the country, according to UNFPA.
All staff and patients who hid in the agency-supported bunker during last week’s harrowing incident were unharmed and a baby girl was born safely during the attack. However, “disturbing” trends persist across the country.
Life-threatening complications
Analysis of UNFPA data from 2023 to 2024 indicates that, despite fewer births, a higher proportion of pregnancies in the country are now affected by serious medical complications.
Uterine ruptures, one of the most life-threatening emergencies, increased by more than 44 percent, while hypertensive disorders, such as high blood pressure, increased by 12 percent.
Cesarean sections, or surgical births, not only remain high but exceed levels recommended by the World Health Organization, as the organization says unnecessary procedures of this type can put the lives of women and their babies at risk.
The cesarean section rate in Kherson is currently 46 percent, according to UNFPA; The WHO recommends no more than 15 percent (15 per 100 births).
Birth under bombardment
With power outages, shortages of medical supplies and damage to equipment now routine, humanitarian aid is often the only lifeline keeping women and premature newborns alive.
With UNFPA support, the maternity ward of the perinatal center in the city of Kherson was rebuilt inside a bunker.
UNFPA provides mobile incubators, sterile neonatal equipment and vital medicines to help premature babies breathe.
To ensure that women can give birth safely even under bombardment, UNFPA also supports the construction of bomb-proof underground maternity wards.
The special underground maternity units of the Kherson City Perinatal Center and the Kharkiv Regional Perinatal Center are the first of their kind in Ukraine.
UNFPA is requesting $52 million to keep maternal health and protection services running in the country over the next year.