100 days of war has put Ukraine’s health system under severe pressure : WHO
India Today
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said Ukraine’s health system is under severe pressure after 100 days of war.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said Ukraine’s health system is under severe pressure after one hundred days of war. It also said it has increased its presence in Ukraine and in the countries hosting displaced Ukrainians to help meet the escalating health needs.
“This war has gone on for 100 days too many, shattering lives and communities, and imperilling the short and long-term health of Ukraine’s people,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “The WHO is doing everything we can to support Ukraine’s ministry of health and deliver essential medical supplies and equipment. But the one medicine that Ukraine needs most is the one that WHO can’t deliver peace. We call on the Russian Federation to end the war,” he added.
ALSO READ | 100 days of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Redefining the nature of limited wars
The war has increased the need for health care while reducing the system’s ability to provide services, particularly in areas of active conflict. As of June 2, there have been 269 verified attacks on healthcare workers, killing at least 76 people and injuring 59.
“In 100 days of war, there have been over 260 verified attacks on health care in Ukraine. These attacks are not justifiable, they are never okay, and they must be investigated. No health professional should have to deliver health care on a knife’s edge, but this is just what nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, the medical teams in Ukraine are doing,” said Hans Henri P Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe.
“I have been privileged to meet many health workers during two visits to Ukraine since the war began. They are keeping vital services and hope alive in the face of unbelievable sorrow and suffering, and we salute them,” he added.
Some health facilities have been destroyed, while others have been overwhelmed by people seeking care for trauma and injuries resulting directly from the war. The WHO has established hubs in areas close to the conflict, such as Dnipro, to rapidly reach the areas of greatest need.
