Born in a shelter: how the maternity hospital's bomb shelter operates

Massive Russian air attacks are a test for every Ukrainian. But what to do when the enemy overshadows the sacred moment of the arrival of new life? To protect the most precious – little Ukrainians – hospitals and perinatal centers across the country are equipping multifunctional shelters that serve not only as a refuge during an attack but also as delivery rooms. Such shelters also operate in the capital's Perinatal Center. Read about how they are equipped in the material by UNN.

Shelters are equipped in both branches of the Perinatal Center. They were furnished thanks to the support of UNICEF and Procter & Gamble.

"Our shelters are clean, bright, equipped with a supply and exhaust ventilation system, sanitary facilities, a boiler system, meaning there is water heating," said obstetrician-gynecologist Oleksandr Horbatko.

The bomb shelters also have delivery rooms and operating rooms, equipped with artificial lung ventilation devices and oxygenators.

There is  necessary equipment for nursing newborns, as well as beds for patients in the shelters, and wards for the second stage of infant care – here mothers can calmly feed and change their babies. There is also an area accessible to Center visitors who need to wait out the alarm.

The bomb shelters are designed for long-term stays. The shelters have separate generators, supplies of technical water in concrete reservoirs, as well as supplies of drinking water and some food (tea, sugar, freeze-dried soups and porridges).

"The shelter allows us to accommodate patients, medical staff, and visitors, meaning they move to give birth with partners, or if they are in the postpartum department in family wards," the doctor clarifies.

The Perinatal Center has also established a corresponding protocol of actions in case of an alarm announcement; for example, a patient who has not yet entered the active phase of labor is immediately transferred to the shelter. Places for childbirth are also arranged in the shelter. If a woman is on the operating table, the operation continues in the protected operating block. All actions are practiced, every doctor and employee knows their role in any given situation.

The entire medical team is ready to act according to approved emergency response algorithms – without stopping and without panic. Evacuation routes have been practiced for critical situations, and communication with city services is constantly maintained.

The medical team of the facility is constantly improving its skills for working in wartime conditions. Recently, center employees took part in a training session where they learned to coordinate actions in the event of missile and drone strikes on medical facilities.

The training was organized by the Bogomolets National Medical University with the support of UNICEF.

The main goal: preserving the life and health of women in labor, pregnant women, newborns, and visitors to the center during missile and drone attacks.

Despite the shelling and constant challenges, the Perinatal Center has not stopped and does not stop its work. In just the last week, over 41% of all births in Kyiv took place here.