"Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the WHO has confirmed 43 health attacks," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Wednesday.The director-general said the WHO provided medical equipment and would send 20 emergency teams to the country. The WHO has also opened a field office in Poland to assist Ukrainian refugees.
Ghebreyesus said financial problems had hampered the group's ability to care for the people of Ukraine. This comes as the United States has provided $ 8 million to the $ 57.5 million WHO has requested to continue providing assistance.
"Millions of dollars are spent on weapons. We urge donors to invest in ensuring that Ukrainian citizens and refugees get the care they need," he said.
The director-general said 300 health care facilities were in the conflict zone or controlled by Russia, while another 600 were close to the war lines.
"The WHO condemns all attacks on health care, wherever they occur," he added before counting other countries that have seen health attacks in recent days.
The director general said 89 attacks on health facilities and patients had occurred worldwide since the beginning of 2022.
Other countries besides Ukraine where the attacks took place include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan and Syria.
In total, 35 people were killed and 53 were injured in the 89 attacks.
Whether in times of peace or conflict, a set of ethics and medical principles guide the work of health workers and hospitals - a commitment to saving lives and reducing suffering.
In times of war, to maintain a certain personality in armed conflicts, laws and regulations are enacted to govern citizens and public buildings - including health facilities - create war crimes.
In the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are already reports of protected areas under attack.
On March 9, 2022, there were reports of damage after Ukraine claimed Russian strikes had destroyed a maternity ward and a children's hospital in Mariupol. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there were children under the accident, and Ukrainian officials called the attack a "war crime".
Earlier, on March 3, it was reported that a Russian shooting had hit a maternity hospital in the city of Zhytomyr. The strike damaged the hospital, smashed windows, and set fire to three nearby homes. Newborn mothers and their babies were reportedly taken out of the basement.
According to Amnesty International, with indiscriminate attacks on public places and strikes at protected areas such as hospitals, Russia's actions could be a war crime. Amnesty's Crisis Evidence Lab has analyzed digital evidence - including photographs, videos and satellite images - of three early-morning attacks during the Russian invasion of February 24. The worst-ever recorded strike, at about 10.30am local time, was a ballistic missile. near the hospital building in Vuhledar, Donetsk region, four people were killed and 10 others injured. According to a local source who spoke to Amnesty researchers, six health workers were among those injured.
Ukrainian troops have stopped a Russian offensive in the capital, the military said on Saturday morning, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would try to take over Kyiv before an hour-long standoff.
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