Oleksandra Denysenko heads TBPeopleUkraine, which fights tuberculosis in Ukraine. She takes a look back on the support her organization received, rapidly deployed by L’Initiative through the Emergency Fund Ukraine .
Oleksandra Denysenko
Head of TBPeopleUkraine.
How does war affect the fight against tuberculosis in Ukraine?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses significant challenges to tuberculosis prevention, detection and management. Many healthcare infrastructures have been destroyed, and the shortage of healthcare workers is significant, leaving them exhausted and under-equipped. Military activities are also preventing us from implementing our programs throughout the country. Thus the incidence of tuberculosis is rising; Ukrainians are more vulnerable to the disease. Their immune response decreases with malnutrition and stress. They spend time in overcrowded shelters, especially in areas close to the front line.
How does the support of L'Initiative has enabled you to maintain your actions despite this context?
Over the past year, L’Initiative’s support of 500,000 euros has enabled us to maintain and reinforce the progress made in controlling this pandemic, by the National Tuberculosis Program, as well as by civil society and community organizations, including TBPeopleUkraine. The response was rapid and adapted to real needs on the ground. We proposed a set of priority activities to be developed and, following a field visit by part of the Initiative team to assess the issues, we jointly decided on the actions to be carried out and began to deploy them.
Thanks to this crucial support, we can repair and equip certain medical institutions located close to the front line. In this way, we can continue to monitor the disease and help ensure continuity of care and access to it. The challenges are considerable, but we are pursuing our ambition to defeat tuberculosis in the country. Before the invasion, despite significant progress, Ukraine remained one of Europe’s most tuberculosis-ridden countries. In addition to supporting our organization, the Initiative offers comprehensive support for the Ukrainian medical system.
