The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland 20 December 2021;
Credit: Denis Balibouse / Reuters
(Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday 24 March 2022 it had verified 64 instances of attacks on health care in Ukraine between 24 February and 21 March 2022 resulting in fifteen deaths and 37 injuries.
Close to seven million Ukrainians have been internally displaced in the one month of war, with one in three of them suffering from a chronic health condition, according to the global health agency.
Pressure has been mounting on medical professionals and volunteers from Ukraine and abroad to keep the country's healthcare system going, since the start of the Russian invasion.
The conflict, which began on 24 February, has caused more than 3.6 million refugees to flee Ukraine and already led to the unprecedented isolation of Russia's economy due to sanctions.
Limited access to medicines, healthcare facilities and staff in Ukraine is further pressuring ongoing treatments of chronic conditions, the WHO said, adding that half of the country's pharmacies were thought to be closed.
The war has also impacted COVID-19 vaccinations and routine immunizations in Ukraine, the health agency said.
Between 24 February and 15 March COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 175,000 people, compared with at least 50,000 vaccinations per day before the Russian invasion, according to the WHO.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control last week said refugees from Ukraine should be offered a full course of COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses, if they do not have proof of prior inoculation.
