“You are doing an incredibly difficult and important job at the same time,” said Yuriy about medical and psychosocial support for people being treated for tuberculosis
“Do you know what the worst thing about illness is? When you become invisible! When you are young and healthy, you have value. Your strength, beauty and attractiveness disappear when you get tuberculosis. You become just another patient at the doctor’s office. You become invisible. As if transparent,” shared his experiences Yuriy, who is being cared for by social assistants of the Donetsk regional branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Yuriy is a participant in the project “Increasing the adherence of patients with drug-susceptible and resistant tuberculosis to treatment through medical and psychosocial support”, implemented by the Alliance for Public Health with the financial support of the Global Fund. Social assistants of the Ukrainian Red Cross in different regions of the country where the project is implemented provide direct support to people: they help them get to medical facilities for examination, dispense medicines, humanitarian aid, referrals for expensive tests, etc. The main objective of the project is to support people on their way to long-term treatment for tuberculosis. After all, today, tuberculosis is a curable disease as long as patients adhere to the treatment regimen and follow medical advice.
Often, people undergoing tuberculosis treatment feel lonely, alienated, and in need of basic understanding and support. That is why it is so important to have organisations and people who help those undergoing tuberculosis treatment.
At the age of 45, Yuriy felt frustrated by the disease, but thanks to the support of social assistants from the Donetsk regional branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross, Larysa and Olha, he felt that he was not alone in his fight against the disease.
“I haven’t gone out of the house for a long time, I haven’t been outdoors, I haven’t been able to see the sun.”
When Yuriy needed to be examined, his social worker Olha turned to the local Ukrainian Red Cross organisation for help. By prior arrangement, volunteers from the Myrnohrad unit of the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team helped Yuriy get to the hospital for an examination.
“You are doing an incredibly difficult and important job at the same time. Regardless of the circumstances, never be disappointed, do not give in to defeat, and most importantly, do not give up!” Yuriy expressed his gratitude.
These words of a man who continues to fight tuberculosis inspire us to do our daily work to help people.
Source: Alliance for Public Health.
