VIDEO. In Mariupol, the rebirth of a maternity ward

Two years ago, there were no more glass windows in this Mariupol maternity ward. Young mothers gave birth and survived in cellars to shelter from bombings. Two years later, the building was redone and had a Russian flag on the facade. There were 1,237 births last year in the city, three times fewer than before the war, but the director is optimistic. “Because the city is recovering, with all this work, and the residents returning, we hope that in a few years, we will return to the previous level”explains Svetlana Bounakova.

Not all staff returned

Two years after the start of the offensive, Mariupol was repopulated. But to date it only has 250,000 inhabitants according to the town hall, compared to 500,000 before the war. This maternity ward is the only one in operation in the city, which had five. Not all personnel returned after the fighting ended. The establishment which also operates as a polyclinic needs help. The sole anesthetist must be on call 24 hours a day.

Many women from the region prefer to come and give birth here, in this town in Donbass located 100 kilometers from the front. “We learned that there was a maternity hospital that continued to operate in Mariupol, as before, and that the staff was good. We decided to stay here for the birth”testifies a young mother.