After almost two years of continuous struggle with the COVID-19 infection, Elena is convinced that, today, she can save more lives and is sufficiently prepared to face a new wave of infections with the SARS COV-2 virus.This is after the Cahul District Hospital, where it has been operating for almost 20 years, was equipped with 20 oxygen concentrators.The medical equipment was provided by UNICEF Moldova with the financial support of USAID.In total, the donation includes 55 oxygen concentrators worth over 40,000 dollars, which were also distributed to hospitals in Taraclia, Ceadîr-Lunga, Vulcănești, Cantemir.“Now I can use these concentrators with confidence.I am calmer because I have something to work with and I no longer do it with my bare hands"Elena's dream of becoming a doctor took root in the early years of her childhood, when she saw her aunt in a white coat, clean and always involved in helping other people.Even though she had to go through the fire of the COVID-19 pandemic and many other challenges, Elena does not regret for a moment the chosen path."I never wanted to do anything else, even though the last few years have been very difficult.There were periods when half of the employees in the Urgent Reception Unit were hospitalized with COVID-19, or were being treated at home.A nurse even died five days after contracting COVID-19 while working in the Intensive Care Unit.Thus, the medical workers, who were not tested positive, had to work extremely hard", says Elena.The Cahul District Hospital is one of the medical institutions of strategic importance for the treatment of patients infected with COVID-19 in the southern region of Moldova."We have received patients with COVID-19, including those in very serious condition, from four districts.This is because the hospitals there were not useful enough to deal with the crisis.But, at the beginning, we didn't have too many machines either", says the doctor.Thus, in addition to the lack of sufficient medical personnel, one of the biggest obstacles in the process of treating patients with COVID-19 was the lack of equipment to provide them with the sufficient amount of oxygen, which meant the loss of many lives."Thanks to these concentrators, there is no longer the mandatory need to admit the patient to intensive care to ensure an optimal level of oxygen saturation.Unfortunately, we do not have a centralized medical oxygen delivery system, and the use of oxygen cylinders is very dangerous.They have to be changed two or three times a day and are quite heavy.That is why the new machines, which activate many hours in a row and use the same oxygen from the environment, but deliver the optimal level of concentrated oxygen, are a hopeful aid for both patients and doctors.You no longer need to wait for a bed to become available in the Intensive Care Unit to save a life.Unfortunately, we lost many people who were in the Internment Ward.I had patients in serious condition whom we could not connect to the machines, because there were already many other people in intensive care", says Elena, the head of the Urgent Reception Unit at the Cahul District Hospital.Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF Moldova has provided consolidated support to medical institutions in the Republic of Moldova to deal with the public health crisis.In total, 75 oxygen concentrators were donated in the amount of more than 77,600 dollars, of which 55 concentrators were procured with the financial support of USAID.The health centers in the Străseni district enjoy modern conditions for storing vaccinesWhat is Omicron and what precautions should you take to protect your family?Impact of COVID-19 on the poor mental health of children and young people is the 'tip of the iceberg' - UNICEFon stage TEDxRoseValleyParkED |75 years of UNICEF