Humanitarian situation in Ukraine: “We will suffer for decades”


interview

Status: 01/28/2023 11:01 a.m

Destroyed hospitals, no electricity, injured and traumatized people, millions of internally displaced persons – in addition to the military, humanitarian aid should not be forgotten, says Dotsenko from the Ukrainian Red Cross.

tagesschau.de: How should one imagine the work of rescue workers and in medical institutions under wartime conditions in Ukraine?

Maxim Dotsenko: It is very difficult to describe the suffering. In places at the front, such as Bakhmut, 60 percent of the city has been destroyed. The entire infrastructure has been destroyed. But there are people who still live there. They hide in the air raid shelter around the clock. They have no electricity, no water. And we have to take care of these people.

There is constant fire. More than 2,000 medical facilities in Ukraine have been completely or partially destroyed. And then there are the attacks on our electricity infrastructure, which is a particularly big problem for doctors. This is by far the biggest problem. Because without electricity, the doctors can’t work, they can’t help.

And yet they continue to work, thanks to generators shipped from all over the world. And thanks to the workers who never stop repairing the electricity grid. It’s really not ideal, but basic medical care somehow still works.

To person

Maksym Dotsenko has been Secretary General of the Ukrainian Red Cross since 2020. Previously, he worked, among other things, as head of the department for humanitarian aid in the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy.

“We need a lot, a lot of generators”

tagesschau.de: And what is the biggest problem in healthcare right now?

Dotsenko: Many people, 10,000 civilians alone, are wounded and need care to recover – but very many also need psychological care. Our healthcare system simply cannot care for such a large number of patients. These problems will occupy us for a very long time, we will suffer from them for decades.

The supply of medicines isn’t that bad, it’s reasonably okay. But we just need generators – very, very many generators in order to be able to work at all – at least for the critical infrastructure, such as hospitals. And once hospitals are rebuilt, they need equipment.

And then there are the internally displaced people who have fled to the west of the country from the north, east and south. The pressure on the healthcare system there is therefore enormous.

Seven million internally displaced persons

tagesschau.de: Can you tell us more about the care of the internally displaced persons?

Dotsenko: The range of problems, from evacuation to housing the refugees, is very wide. There are seven million internally displaced persons in Ukraine. Many want to return to their old homes as soon as the security situation permits. But in many regions this is not yet possible. And many people simply no longer have an apartment because it is gone.

Not only do we have to provide these people with emergency accommodation, but they also have to be given a permanent, new home and integrated into a new home. Some can rent themselves or live with friends or family. The state has to build housing for others.

Another consequence of the war is huge shifts in the labor market. Many people have simply lost their jobs. They often need a new education.

“Sometimes humanitarian aid is forgotten”

tagesschau.de: What help do you expect from abroad, for example from Germany?

Dotsenko: There is a strong focus on military support. That is also necessary. But sometimes humanitarian aid is forgotten. We need so much support. Not only for internally displaced people and the injured, but also for the many people who live in destroyed apartments and suffer greatly. Every Ukrainian is affected in one way or another and needs help, physically, psychologically or socially.

For that we need money. A lot of money, also from Germany. The German Red Cross is already helping us. But it’s not enough. And we need funds not only now, but also in the future. For years. We need guaranteed, clear commitments for funds from our partners abroad, at least for the next two or three years, so that we can plan.

No shortage of volunteers

tagesschau.de: Does the Red Cross in Ukraine have enough volunteers?

Dotsenko: We don’t have a shortage of volunteers, on the contrary. Wherever we need help, people come to us. They work in very difficult conditions and we always try to protect our volunteers from danger, provide therapy.

And so far, civil society has been very strong. Ukrainian society is strong.

The interview was conducted by Christoph Schwanitz, tagesschau.de

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