Since the beginning of the invasion, the Russian military has attacked medical institutions in Ukraine and medical workers 620 times.
"The immediate priority is responding urgently to the damage done by the latest attacks on health, with the total of WHO-confirmed attacks on health at 620 since the war began in February. We need to scale up our support to the rebuilding process," RBC-Ukraine reports with reference to Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Hans Kluge.
He added that severe winter can worsen the living conditions of the most vulnerable segments of the population of Ukraine, including people displaced or left without heating.
"The second priority is attending to the immediate health needs of people in the newly accessible areas back under Ukrainian control. We must find ways to respond to the magnitude of physical and mental suffering endured by these populations. Also, for months now, we have been urgently requesting humanitarian access to occupied areas such as Mariupol and Donbas, so that WHO and partners can assess needs and provide support.
The third priority is anticipating and preparing for the significant challenges that winter will bring. Too many people in Ukraine are living precariously, moving from location to location, living in substandard structures or without access to heating. This can lead to frostbite, hypothermia, pneumonia, stroke and heart attack.
The destruction of houses and lack of access to fuel or electricity due to damaged infrastructure could become a matter of life or death if people are unable to heat their homes. According to the Government of Ukraine, over 800,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed in the country since the start of the war, and thousands of people are now living either in collective centres or damaged buildings, without the protection they need against the harsh cold season.
The coming brutal winter could prove particularly dangerous for vulnerable people – including the elderly, patients with chronic conditions, and those needing maternal and neonatal services, especially given the current reality of low coverage with vaccines against COVID-19 and other illnesses.
Indeed, we have seen COVID-19 cases rise sharply in recent weeks, as they have elsewhere in the WHO European Region. We must prepare for an increased burden of respiratory diseases this autumn and winter, as seasonal influenza co-circulates with SARS-CoV-2.
Wintertime challenges and the latest escalation in fighting could add to significant internal displacement, with an anticipated 2 to 3 million people on the move within Ukraine itself, as well as another exodus of refugees to surrounding countries. Consequently, there will be an even greater strain on health services both in Ukraine and refugee-receiving countries.
Mental health issues will also likely be exacerbated. Earlier this week, on World Mental Health Day, we noted that almost 10 million people at the present time are potentially at risk of mental disorders such as acute stress, anxiety, depression, substance use and post-traumatic stress disorder. This estimate was made before this week’s escalation of hostilities.
The fourth priority I'd like to emphasize is the crucial continuation – despite the raging war – of health-care reform in Ukraine. Before the war, the country had embarked on an ambitious health-care reform process that had already begun showing strong results.
However, recent economic analyses from the World Bank suggest the war could push 60% of the population below the poverty line, and the United Nations Development Programme estimates put that figure as possibly even higher – making it more and more challenging for people to afford essential medical services. An urgent roadmap is needed to expand universal health coverage in the months and years ahead.
I would like to acknowledge here donor governments who make our work possible. WHO’s humanitarian request, so far, has averaged about US$ 10 million per month for our response in Ukraine. We need donor support to remain steady, if not increase, to enable our support to Ukrainian health partners in the long term and to meet the health needs of refugees in surrounding countries.
We can expand on these and other issues when we take your questions – but let me conclude by reiterating the message I conveyed at the very beginning: WHO is in Ukraine for the long haul. The country and its people can count on our partnership and support, today and always," he added.
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