The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
Five months into the war in Ukraine, people are suffering severely from all kinds of diseases and disabilities with an overstretched health system operating in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
Speaking via zoom from the port city Odessa in southern Ukraine, Dr. Dorit Nitzan, WHO’s Incident Manager in Ukraine, said that “the health institutions here in Odessa, and I am sure that in Mykolaiv and elsewhere, now where the fights are ongoing, are really overstretched”.
WHO is currently establishing a WHO hub in Odessa where they are focusing, together with the Ukraine Ministry of Health and other national and international partners, on the needs of the affected population – people whose physical and mental health has been harmed and deteriorated due to the Russian invasion.
“People are being disabled in all kinds of ways due to the war”, said Dr. Nitzan. “The noise and bombardments damage hearing. The landmines have been the cause of amputations, and of course, the fear, the grief and the uncertainty that exerts on mental health”.
There are also diabetics who could not get treatment and whose disease is now severe. Premature babies, pregnant women, older people, many of whom have been left behind.
According to Dr. Nitzan, “the people who have not been able to receive early diagnosis and treatment for cancer, are now having more advanced tumors and more critical illnesses”. She added that “people that have not been able to receive medications, for example hypertension, now have failing hearts and maybe strokes”.
The expertise of a countrywide-renowned Ophthalmology Centre based in Odessa is now sorely needed. “Other people have been suffering the terrible effects of missile attacks and other shelling”, said Dr. Nitzan. “And what we do not recognize and what we see more here is the impact on our vision with burns and damages to their eyes, leaving people permanently or partially blinded”.
WHO and other humanitarian partners are waiting for the establishment of humanitarian corridors in order to get to the conflict affected populations.
“Gender based-violence we see as in every war, and together with the UN family, each of the organization that is doing something is involved”, Dr. Nitzan said. “We are in the health care, hotlines and support to aid those who have suffered from this violence”.
Treatment of waterborne diseases, the ever-present risk of a cholera outbreak in the country, is a particular concern for WHO. Together with other humanitarian partners they are currently waiting to get security clearance for an assessment mission to Mykolaiv.
Dr. Dorit Nitzan described the current health situation in Ukraine as “Covid-19 is increasing now, cholera we are getting ready, polio (is) under control, measles we are working very hard to vaccinate but we are working in different areas in order to make sure that we are there”.
-ends-
STORY: Ukraine Update – WHO
TRT: 2 mins 40s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 8 July 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, Press room, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “The health institutions here in Odessa, and I am sure that in Mykolaiv and elsewhere, now where the fights are ongoing, are really overstretched”.
- Mid shot, Screens in press briefing room.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “People are being disabled in all kinds of ways due to the war. The noise and bombardments damage hearing. The landmines have been the cause of amputations and of course, the fear, the grief and the uncertainty that exerts on mental health”.
- Mid shot, journalist, typing on laptops
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “The people who have not been able to receive early diagnosis and treatment for cancer, are now having more advanced tumors and more critical illnesses. People that have not been able to receive medications, for example hypertension, now have failing hearts and maybe strokes”.
- Close-up, hands typing on notepad.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “Other people have been suffering the terrible effects of missile attacks and other shelling. And what we do not recognize and what we see more here is the impact on our vision with burns and damages to their eyes, leaving people permanently or partially blinded”.
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, spokesperson reading on cell phone
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “Gender based-violence we see as in every war, and together with the UN family, each of the organization that is doing something is involved. We are in the health care, hotlines and support to aid those who have suffered from this violence”.
- Medium shot, journalists in the room
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Dr Dorit Nitzan (Zoom from Odessa - Ukraine), WHO Ukraine Incident Manager: “Covid-19 is increasing now, cholera we are getting ready, polio (is) under control, measles we are working very hard to vaccinate but we are working in different areas in order to make sure that we are there”.
- Wide shot, press briefing room with journalists and screen
- Medium shot, participants typing on laptops
- Medium shot, podium with speakers and screen in the background.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.