Browsing by Author "Tanasov, Andrei"

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    Covid-19 and Ukrainian Crisis Exponentiates the Need for the Inclusion of Conflict and Disaster Medicine in Medical Curriculum
    (2022-04) Jain, Nityanand; Prasad, Sakshi; Bordeniuc, Alina; Tanasov, Andrei; Cheuk, Chun Pong; Panag, Deepkanwar Singh; S Wia Tek, Dorota; Platos, Emilia; Betka, Marta Maria; Senica, Simone Oliver; Patel, Shiv; Czárth, Zsófia Csenge; Jain, Shivani; Reinis, Aigars; Rīga Stradiņš University; Department of Biology and Microbiology
    Conflict medicine is an age-old branch of medicine which focuses on delivering healthcare services to the injured in the setting of conflicts, wars, disasters, and/or other calamities. The course in its purest form has been traditionally given only in military medical schools while civilian medical students are usually taught parts of the course in other overlapping subjects like surgery, infectious diseases, etc. However, in a crisis situation, civilian doctors are expected to double up as military doctors, which leads to emotional, mental, and physical stress for the civilian doctors along with logistical and organizational challenges. The current Covid-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian conflict have highlighted once again the emergent need for the implementation of conflict medicine courses in regular medical curricula, so as to make the medical students situation-ready. With our present discussion, we aim to provide a brief overview of the course, its core modules, challenges to its implementation, and possible solutions. We believe that the complex management skills gained by this course are not only useful in conflict scenario but are also valuable in managing day-to-day medical emergencies.
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    European Countries Step-up Humanitarian and Medical Assistance to Ukraine as the Conflict Continues
    (2022) Jain, Nityanand; Prasad, Sakshi; Bordeniuc, Alina; Tanasov, Andrei; Shirinskaya, Anna Valerievna; Béla, Bucsai; Cheuk, Chun Pong; Banica, Daniel Cristi Nicu; Panag, Deepkanwar Singh; Świątek, Dorota; Savchenko, Elena; Platos, Emilia; Lolita, Jelic; Betka, Marta Maria; Phiri, Musawenkosi; Patel, Shiv; Czárth, Zsófia Csenge; Krygowska, Aleksandra Małgorzata; Jain, Shivani; Reinis, Aigars; Rīga Stradiņš University
    On the 24th of February 2022, the Russian Federation began an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, marking the biggest military attack in Europe since the second world war. Over 4 million people have fled their homeland within the first month of the war and have triggered a large refugee crisis with impacts far beyond the Ukrainian border. People in the neighboring countries have shown tremendous support by stepping forward to donate food, clothes, medications, money, and other essential supplies. The governments and other regional stakeholders have also been supportive in accommodating and easing regulations for the incoming refugees. Herein, we summarize the humanitarian measures and medical donations that have been made by European countries as they stepped up their efforts to provide refugees with all necessary basic services. We further highlight potential oncoming challenges in Ukraine and the host countries along with relevant solutions to these challenges. The current scenario highlights the need for multi-party and multi-level collaborations (both public and private) to tackle the emerging situation.
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    War Psychiatry : Identifying and Managing the Neuropsychiatric Consequences of Armed Conflicts
    (2022-06-22) Jain, Nityanand; Prasad, Sakshi; Czárth, Zsófia Csenge; Chodnekar, Swarali Yatin; Mohan, Srinithi; Savchenko, Elena; Panag, Deepkanwar Singh; Tanasov, Andrei; Betka, Marta Maria; Platos, Emilia; Świątek, Dorota; Krygowska, Aleksandra Małgorzata; Rozani, Sofia; Srivastava, Mahek; Evangelou, Kyriacos; Gristina, Kitija Lucija; Bordeniuc, Alina; Akbari, Amir Reza; Jain, Shivani; Kostiks, Andrejs; Reinis, Aigars; Rīga Stradiņš University
    War refugees and veterans have been known to frequently develop neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders that tend to leave a long-lasting scar and impact their emotional response system. The shear stress, trauma, and mental breakdown from overnight displacement, family separation, and killing of friends and families cannot be described enough. Victims often require years of mental health support as they struggle with sleep difficulties, recurring memories, anxiety, grief, and anger. Everyone develops their coping mechanism which can involve dependence and long-term addiction to alcohol, drugs, violence, or gambling. The high prevalence of mental health disorders during and after the war indicates an undeniable necessity for screening those in need of treatment. For medical health professionals, it is crucial to identify such vulnerable groups who are prone to developing neuropsychiatric morbidities and associated risk factors. It is pivotal to develop and deploy effective and affordable multi-sectoral collaborative care models and therapy, which primarily depends upon family and primary care physicians in the conflict zones. Herein, we provide a brief overview regarding the identification and management of vulnerable populations, alongside discussing the challenges and possible solutions to the same.