The ESA Calls for Support for Healthcare Workers and Civilians in Ukraine
Saving civilian life must be a top priority, healthcare workers must be protected, health systems and facilities need to remain functional, safe, and accessible
The European Sepsis Alliance joins the call for peace in Ukraine, echoing calls by so many organizations and individuals around the world. We encourage our members and supporters to do whatever they can to help Ukrainian civilians and the Ukrainian healthcare system.
War always causes a humanitarian and health emergency affecting civilians. Children, women, and the elderly are the most exposed to the risks linked to the disruption of safe healthcare and access to medicines. Displacement of swathes of the population from their homes (some with injuries or with underlying health conditions), the mass movement of people, crowding, loss of sanitation and loss of access to both preventative medicine and healthcare services increases the risk of infections and resultant sepsis in an environment which might lack the capacity to treat it – people with pre-existing conditions who are most at risk from infections and sepsis will likely not get the treatments they need. Already we hear that supplies of oxygen in Ukraine’s hospitals are critically low.
A functioning healthcare system is a basic human right that must be protected, along with the safety and security of healthcare workers and facilities.
Many organizations (see the list below) are providing active support to the Ukrainian population. We encourage you and our members to support these organizations in the same manner as you support the European Sepsis Alliance and the Global Sepsis Alliance.
Additionally, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health is inviting foreign healthcare professionals to go and work in local hospitals. More details are available here.
This new crisis comes as the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already put all healthcare systems under pressure, continues. Ukrainian hospitals, doctors, nurses, civilians, and refugees desperately need our help.