Devex CheckUp: The mental health crisis building in Ukraine

The Russia-Ukraine war just passed the six-month mark, meaning half a year of not just physical danger, but immense mental stress for Ukrainian families. In Lviv, Devex contributor Gabriella Jóźwiak has found that the war is creating new traumas for children and their caregivers, and there’s a huge demand for — but not much supply of — psychologists to treat them.

• Some internally displaced families in Lviv are living in shipping container-sized rooms in a modular village housing 350 residents and sharing bathrooms. While life there is safer than in some other parts of the country, families can only stay for six months.

• That’s creating anxiety for many, including pregnant women. According to the United Nations, the stresses of war have led to an increase in premature births. Another worry is the abuse of children. UNICEF psychologists say they’ve witnessed parents being aggressive to their kids, who are already dealing with grief after being separated from friends and family. “Currently we’re trying to prevent domestic violence against children,” UNICEF psychologist Nataliya Tybura tells Gabriella.

• Psychologists provide mental health assessments to children arriving in Lviv and offer advice to parents about their own mental health and how to care for their children. But there’s only a handful of psychologists in the city who can provide the much-needed therapy, and some children will likely need long-term help to cope with the trauma.

• Lviv is just one city and the need for mental health services is huge all over Ukraine. In a video address during the 75th World Health Assembly in May, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked for countries’ support in building a psychological care center in Ukraine. She noted that many people in Kharhiv who sheltered in the subway from bombings find themselves unable to leave

Read: In Ukraine, children and parents are battling trauma; help is elusive

Deep dive: The ripple effects of Ukraine’s fight for freedom

Not local enough

Medical supply companies in Rwanda and Uganda were among USAID's top local contractors in 2021. But overall, the agency's spending with local contractors saw a massive drop of 35% from the previous year. USAID local contracts and grants account for just about 6% of its overall funding — far from its goal of channeling 25% to local partners by 2025.

Read: How USAID funding for local contractors fell in 2021 (Pro)

+ Devex Pro members can also read our analysis of WHO’s top suppliers in 2021. Not gone Pro yet? Start your 15-day free trial today.

Calling out confusion

A new report found that the scope and process of a key WHO program that assesses the safety and quality of health products in low- to middle-income countries are not always clear to outsiders, including product developers. WHO has pushed back on some assertions made in the report and questioned its methodology.

While researchers stand by their findings, they are also ready to “amend any aspects of the report if warranted,” Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, told Jenny by email. But their call remains: greater transparency and engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders, which include product developers and regulators.

Read: WHO product review process needs better clarity, says external report

Far from retirement

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a globally recognized scientist who’s advised seven U.S. presidents and was a prominent face of the U.S. COVID-19 response, has announced he is stepping down from his government positions to “pursue the next chapter of my career.” At 81, the renowned physician and immunologist doesn’t have plans to retire just yet.

It’s unclear what exactly that next chapter will be, but friends and colleagues are certain it will be “transformational.” Fauci has served for more than five decades in the U.S. government, including as one of the architects behind the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR — and he’s been a “strong and effective advocate for the effort ever since then,” says Dr. Mark Dybul, a professor at Georgetown University and another of PEPFAR’s architects, who calls Fauci “a key and highly valued advisor and sounding board.”

In 2018, our colleague Michael Igoe interviewed Fauci about PEPFAR, its impact on U.S. global health efforts, and the challenges that lie ahead.

From our archives: A Q&A with Anthony Fauci on PEPFAR

Not again

Last week, online consultations took place to gather input from civil society organizations on the governance and operation of the Financial Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response. Their comments are expected to inform the ongoing process of setting up the fund — but civil society groups themselves and other interested parties from LMICs are not exactly part of the official meetings.

In an op-ed for Devex, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Open Government Partnership CEO Sanjay Pradhan are calling for the FIF to have a more inclusive governance structure. “A mechanism that is driven largely by the Group of Seven or the larger Group of 20, with token, or after-the-fact, inclusion of lower-income countries or the deep expertise of independent global experts, is likely to suffer from a legitimacy crisis,” they write.

Opinion: Here we go again … Pandemic preparedness financing 

What we’re reading

The inquiry into the British government’s COVID-19 response should also probe its global effect, NGOs say. [Devex]

Researchers at the University of Oxford will start trials of the antiviral drug tecovirimat to fight monkeypox. [BBC]

Part of a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing facility in South Africa meant to produce a billion doses of vaccine yearly by 2025 is now available for lease amid low demand for COVID-19 shots. [Bloomberg]