"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, WHO has verified 43 attacks on health care," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference Wednesday.
The director general said the WHO has provided medical equipment and will be deploying 20 emergency medical teams to the country. The WHO has also opened a field office in Poland to help Ukrainian refugees.
Ghebreyesus said financial constraints have constricted the group's ability to care for Ukrainians. This comes as the U.S. has given $8 million of the $57.5 million the WHO has requested to keep providing aid.
"Huge amounts of money are being spent on weapons. We ask donors to invest in ensuring that civilians in Ukraine and refugees receive the care they need," he said.
The director-general said 300 health care facilities are in the conflict area or controlled by Russia, while 600 more are close to the battle lines.
"WHO condemns all attacks on health care, wherever they occur," he added before listing other countries that have seen health care attacks in recent days.
The director general said 89 attacks on health care facilities and patients have occurred across the globe since the beginning of 2022.
Other countries besides Ukraine where the attacks have occurred include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan and the Syria.
In total, 35 people have been killed and 53 people have been injured in the 89 attacks.
Whether in times of peace or conflict, a set of medical ethics and principles guides the work of healthcare workers and hospitals – the commitment to save lives and reduce suffering.
In times of war, to maintain some humanity in armed conflict, certain rules and agreements have been made that mean targeting civilians and civilian buildings – including healthcare facilities – constitute a war crime.
In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have already been reports of protected sites coming under attack.
On March 9, 2022, there were reports of devastation after Ukraine said Russian air strikes destroyed a maternity ward and children’s hospital in Mariupol. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there were children beneath the wreckage, and Ukrainian officials called the attack a “war crime“.
Before that, on March 3, it was reported that Russian shelling had hit a maternity hospital in the city of Zhytomyr. That strike damaged the hospital, breaking the windows, and burned three nearby homes. It was reported that new mothers and their babies were evacuated to the basement.
According to Amnesty International, by carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals, Russia’s actions may constitute war crimes. Amnesty’s Crisis Evidence Lab analysed digital evidence – including photos, videos and satellite imagery – of three attacks carried out in the early hours of the Russian invasion on February 24. In the deadliest strike it documented, at approximately 10.30am local time a ballistic missile struck near a hospital building in Vuhledar, in the Donetsk region, killing four people and wounding 10 more. According to a local source who spoke to Amnesty researchers, six healthcare workers were among the injured.
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