
Dr Galyna Maistruk is the Executive Director for Woman Health and Family Planning Ukraine (WHFP) and an obstetrician-gynecologist who has spent more than 20 years promoting and defending sexual and reproductive health rights in Ukraine.
Articles by Dr Galyna Maistruk

Two Years On: The war on Ukraine and the crisis for women and girls
If you come to Kyiv, it may seem to you that the city lives like any other capital in the world: people go to work, take their children to school, do shopping, young people celebrate life. But if you look inside, people's hearts are broken, and their mental health has long been on the brink. Two years of war left an irreparable mark on every Ukrainian. In my team, one woman lost her husband, another lost her brother and her parental home is now under occupation. There are hundreds of thousands of such stories in Ukraine. So, is your first impression that the city is as lively as any other true? Every day as we fall asleep, we check the Air Force for any threat of attack to get ready to go to shelter. Daily air alarms are now part of the routine, like masks once were during the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Facebook feeds have turned into necrologies. Amidst all this, we continue to fight, work, and get ourselves together, because we have no right to give up. Because the healthcare system is going through a major upheaval and needs investment and development. Because our patients need help more than ever before. Amid the terrifying devastation experienced through a humanitarian crisis, people need first and foremost safety and protection. Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services save lives and prevent further suffering.