Ensuring safe births for Ukrainian and Moldovan women at Soroca Maternal hospital

„Unlike other mothers, refugee women often give birth alone, and post-delivery, they require the necessary emotional support from medical staff and social workers”, Dr. Ella Ursu, Interim Director, and Dr. Nina Spoială, Vice-Medical Director and Neonatologist at Soroca District Maternity Hospital.

More than 5,000 refugee women delivered safely or received reproductive health services at the district hospitals supported by UNFPA since the start of the war. The scale and urgency of this crisis have placed significant burden on healthcare systems and institutions, such as the Perinatal Center in Soroca in the Republic of Moldova. Despite these challenges, the hospital has stepped up to provide essential care and support to refugee women.

„The center remains committed to offering comprehensive prenatal, delivery, and postnatal treatments free of charge to the refugee women who have obtained special protection status and have fulfilled all the legal requirements”*, said Dr. Ursu.

„These services are crucial in alleviating the burdens faced by refugee women during this challenging period. It is important to note that many of these refugee women arrive without their partners, adding to their emotional and psychological distress”.

Perinatal Center in Soroca is a vital healthcare institution in Moldova, offering comprehensive maternal and newborn care services. With over 500 births annually and serving as a referral center for complex cases from Florești and Drochia districts, the hospital plays a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of mothers and infants. However, there are urgent needs that must be addressed to improve the quality of care and support provided.

„With continued support and collaboration from UNFPA, Perinatal Center in Soroca can fulfill its mission of ensuring that every mother receives the care and support she deserves during this transformative stage of life”, said Dr. Ursu.

„The furniture donated today is just the first step in equipping the maternity unit to enhance the comfort and functionality of patient rooms and medical offices at Perinatal Center in Soroca”, said Dr. Cornelia Vindea-Crăciun, UNFPA Program Analyst on Sexual and Reproductive Health within the humanitarian response.  „In the coming months, UNFPA plans to upgrade the operating room and delivery room at the perinatal centers of the country that are most in need and with the largest number of refugee women”.

During 2022, as part of the humanitarian response, UNFPA fully equipped: 22 delivery rooms; 14 operating rooms and 35 patient rooms at 9 strategic medical institutions in the Republic of Moldova; 8 neonatal intensive care units from 7 maternity hospitals; gynecological operating rooms at the Oncology Institute in Chisinau. This investment means that more than 15,500 Moldovan and Ukrainian women can be certain that they can welcome their baby safely at the highest medical maternal health standards; hundreds of premature babies in critical conditions have higher chances of survival; and the lives of women with reproductive cancers will be saved due to the reduced wait time for surgeries at the specialized hospitals.

* The figure only includes officially registered refugee women from twelve district hospitals that received support from UNFPA.