March 13, 2022 8:47 PM
In a joint statement issued on Sunday and signed by Catherine Russell, executive director, UNICEF; Natalia Kanem, executive director, UNFPA, and Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general, WHO, the organisations said the war in Ukraine is seriously affecting the provision of healthcare, especially to vulnerable persons.
“Agencies noted that since the start of the war, 31 attacks on health care have been documented via the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care . According to these reports, in 24 incidents health care facilities were damaged or destroyed, while in five cases ambulances were damaged or destroyed.“These attacks have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries, and affected access to and availability of essential health services.
“For example, more than 4,300 births have occurred in Ukraine since the start of war and 80,000 Ukrainian women are expected to give birth in next three months.