Accessibility issues
quality gynecological services include
EVERY WOMAN!

"High-quality gynecological services and available modern equipment ensure safety, comfort and our dignity."

"Today we speak more openly about gender inequality in the provision of health care services, but the issue of providing quality services to women with disabilities remains "hidden". Some women with disabilities avoid visiting a gynecologist because it is very difficult to get accessible services - examination on a couch, as a last resort, "pulling them into a chair" and it is good if it is done by women, fear of injury, humiliation. We are talking about a modern inclusive society, about ensuring rights for all women, about dignity. We need to not only talk, we need to act and get the state to protect our rights."

"It is important that medical care takes into account the interests of everyone, regardless of income, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, place of residence, etc. Services for all and tailored to the needs of all."

"I live in a city, and I realize that my opportunity to get the service I need is greater than that of a woman living in a village. It's also as if we all have the opportunity to choose an institution of different ownership. In fact, we don't. Because we have different financial capacities. And what if you don't have the money? In general, society and the health care system should take into account that the health of all women should be a priority of state policy."

"For 25 years now, due to a spinal injury, I have been using a wheelchair to get around. 12 years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Before that, I was able to undergo an examination by a gynecologist only in a sanatorium where I was recovering. But it was not a high-quality examination on the couch, because the gynecological chair was not available to me. After undergoing surgery and radiation, I undergo an examination every six months by an oncogynecologist, who lifts me onto the chair for examination. It's uncomfortable, difficult, traumatic for both of us and humiliating for me. I haven't been to the doctor for a long time lately. I catch myself thinking that it is because I have gained weight. I'm afraid of whether the doctor will be able to lift me onto the gynecological chair."

"At a meeting with gynecologists, teachers from a boarding school for children with hearing impairments shared their experience of preventive work on gynecological issues among adolescent girls in their institution. Unfortunately, most of the time, the girls receive the necessary information from their teachers or caregivers for the first time, not from their parents. If there is a need to examine girls with hearing impairment on a gynecological chair, everyone, without exception, experiences stress due to the impossibility of quality communication between the doctor and the patient with hearing impairment and sign language interpreters."

"A woman with mental disabilities died at the age of 42 due to gynecological cancer. According to her elderly mother, her daughter had never been sexually active, so, in her opinion, her daughter did not need to see a gynecologist. That is why the disease was neglected and treatment did not bring positive results."

"The time has come when HIV infection is not a sign of imminent death, but is considered a chronic disease. Women living with HIV have a normal life, including sexual relations, family planning and childbirth. Unfortunately, women and girls face a significant barrier to accessing gynecological and obstetric care due to the high level of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Over the past years, we have been trying to change and stop the practice of judging women by medical staff and refusing to provide gynecological care by educating doctors and protecting the rights of patients with HIV. The gynecological service should work for women and for the sake of women, without dividing them into categories with certain restrictions. We need to understand the importance of providing our medical facilities with friendly staff and necessary equipment to create a safe environment, which is the key to the well-being of women and girls living in Ukraine."