The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Ukraine: health care attacks continue as battleground moves east
As the focus of the war in Ukraine shifts to the east of the country, nearly seven weeks since the Russian invasion, health care facilities have continued to come under attack, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
“As of yesterday, WHO has verified 108 incidents of attacks on health care in Ukraine,” said WHO spokesperson Bhanu Bhatnagar. “This could range from attacks on health facilities and personnel, transport like ambulances, supplies and warehouses. At least 72 people have been killed and 51 people injured in those attacks.”
Speaking from Lviv in western Ukraine, Mr. Bhatnagar noted that “roughly 300 health facilities are in conflict areas at this time and about 1,000 health facilities are in changed areas of control”.
Since Russian forces entered Ukraine on 24 February, WHO has delivered 216 tonnes of emergency and medical supplies and equipment to the country, via Lviv. More than half of that amount has reached the intended destination, mostly in the east and north of the country, where needs are greatest.
“Over the coming days, WHO will be providing 15 generators to hospitals across Ukraine that have limited or no power supply,” Mr. Bhatnagar continued. “The generators are destined for oblasts in the east, in the south and in the north, and we have set aside two generators for hospitals in Mariupol for delivery as soon as we can get in.”
In addition to pursuing all efforts to re-open operations in Kyiv, the WHO spokesperson explained that the UN agency also wanted to expand its strategic operational base in Dnipro, in the central-eastern part of the country, although this “still remains uncertain”, he said.
WHO also plans to deliver 20 ambulances to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health this week and it is also helping the authorities to set up field hospitals to provide basic healthcare services where health infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The UN agency has also evacuated those in need of immediate medical treatment to the Polish border town of Korczowa, where the Polish government has set up a health facility to treat up to 200 people.
ends
STORY: Ukraine Health Care Attacks – WHO
TRT: 1 min 21s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 12 April 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, flag alley, UN Geneva.
- Wide shot, UN Geneva Press room.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Bhanu Bhatnagar (Zoom from Lviv), spokesperson, WHO: “Roughly 300 health facilities are in conflict areas at this time and about 1,000 health facilities are in changed areas of control.”
- Close-up, TV camera lens and viewfinder and large-screen TV to rear, showing podium speaker and external speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Bhanu Bhatnagar (Zoom from Lviv), spokesperson, WHO: “As of yesterday, WHO has verified 108 incidents of attacks on health care in Ukraine; this could range from attacks on health facilities and personnel, transport like ambulances, supplies and warehouses. At least 72 people have been killed and 51 people injured in those attacks.”
- Medium shot, participant sitting in front of laptop.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Bhanu Bhatnagar (Zoom from Lviv), spokesperson, WHO: “Over the coming days, WHO will be providing 15 generators to hospitals across Ukraine that have limited or no power supply. The generators are destined for oblasts in the east, in the south and in the north, and we have set aside two generators for hospitals in Mariupol for delivery as soon as we can get in.”
- Medium shot, journalists/participants seated, one checking her phone, TV camera on tripod to rear and large screen TV.
- Medium shot, participant seated, looking at laptop screen.
- Wide shot, journalists/participants seated, with TV camera and lighting tripods in view, and large-screen TV showing speakers.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday made the following remarks on the current situation in the Middle-East.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP
Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced, aid routes compromised: UN humanitarians deplore effects of new Middle East war
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Well over 1.3 million people have fled Sudan’s ongoing war for South Sudan, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday presented to the 61st Human Rights Council his global update on the human rights situation.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday presented to the UN Human Rights Council a new report on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday briefed the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the human rights situation in Sudan: “Nearly three years of brutal conflict have almost turned Sudan into a land of despair. The report I am presenting today is yet another chapter in the chronicle of cruelty. It outlines clear, ongoing patterns of violence against civilians, including killings, rape, and torture. As the fighting has intensified, violations of international law by all parties to the conflict have surged, while accountability has remained practically absent,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday told the Human Rights Council in Geneva today: “Afghanistan is a graveyard for human rights. The cascade of edicts and laws announced by the de facto authorities since coming to power in 2021 is having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.”
3
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS , OCHA , UNHCR
Ukraine enters fifth year of war: Attacks and displacement deepen human suffering amid mounting recovery challenges
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UN officials took stock of the immense human and economic toll of the conflict while appealing to the world to “never get used to war.”
2
27
2
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | General Assembly , UNITED NATIONS
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.
1
48
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
A ceremony marking the completion of the construction of the Portail des Nations, a soon-to-open visitors centre for the UN in Geneva, was held today for diplomats from around the world who have gathered in the Swiss city for the opening session of the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his opening remarks to the 61str session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
10
1
1
Edited News | HRC , SG
In Geneva, delegates from more than 120 countries gathered on Monday to mark 20 years of the UN Human Rights Council and a shared commitment to international law, amid runaway global instability and conflict, amid runaway global instability and conflict.