Village Health Outpost Gains Access to Clean Water
Uriye Harkchi, a nurse practitioner for 17 years at the Dubki rural health outpost, does not hide her happiness when she turns on the water tap and fills her cup with water. When she sees the surprised faces of her patients, she smiles and tells them the magic word, “IRD,” which helped bring new life to the Dubki health outpost in Ukraine.
Located in Simferopol raion, Crimea, the Dubki health outpost was built in 1957, and its water supply systems had not undergone any significant renovation for more than 30 years. When the village water supply system stopped functioning completely in 1999, Dubki residents and the health outpost were without water. Suddenly, Ms. Harkchi was not only responding to the medical needs of 2,000 residents, but was also burdened with the responsibility of identifying adequate water sources needed to treat them.
Using three-liter jugs, Ms. Harkchi began sourcing water from a neighbor’s well or from neighboring villages. Medical services, health post workers, and patients suffered due to poor hygiene and sanitation, as cleaning of the premises was nearly impossible, toilets did not work, and all water had to be boiled before use. Although residents renovated the village water main in 2010 to reconnect their households to a water supply, the health outpost was not connected.
Village Health Outpost Gains Access to Clean Water
By the time Ms. Harkchi met with IRD project engineers in 2010, she had lost hope that someone could help her and her patients. The USAID-funded Ukraine WASH Project proved to be just the solution Dubki residents were in need of, and by August 2010, IRD had completed renovation work. New solutions were identified through comprehensive technical assessments, including replacement of internal cold water supply pipes in the health outpost, connection to the water main, and installation of a water purification filter, sinks and a water heater.
Maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation at the Dubki health post is no longer a problem, and Ms. Harkchi’s patients now receive the high-quality medical services they need.
The Ukraine WASH Project has increased access to safe drinking water by improving the water supply infrastructure and water quality in 15 healthcare facilities in Crimea and surrounding communities. IRD is helping to provide 200,000 patients per year and 5,100 medical personnel working in these medical facilities with access to clean water.
The Ukraine WASH Project is carried out by IRD with funding from USAID.
Filed Under: Building Infrastructure, Health & Hygiene, Water, Europe, Ukraine
