The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday that this winter will «endanger» the lives of millions of people in Ukraine due to the energy crisis and the risk of viral infections.
According to the UN agency, Ukraine is facing a thermal crisis in addition to a crisis due to the war and the COVID-19 pandemic, all after half of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.
Such conditions are already having an impact on the healthcare system and people’s health, which could put a dent in Ukraine’s healthcare system.
Winter in Ukraine «will be about survival,» according to WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Henri Kluge, who detailed that so far 703 attacks on health facilities have been recorded since the war began nine months ago.
«This is a violation of international humanitarian law and the rules of war,» Kluge asserted, adding that attacks on health and energy infrastructure mean that hundreds of hospitals and healthcare facilities are no longer fully operational and lack fuel, water and electricity to meet basic needs.
«Maternity wards need incubators. Blood banks need refrigerators. Intensive care beds need ventilators. And they all require power,» he added.
In this regard, WHO has stressed that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians across the country, including private homes, schools and hospitals, have no gas supply, essential not only for cooking but also for heating.
As many as 10 million people, a quarter of Ukraine’s population, do not have electricity, a worrying fact, according to the organization, as temperatures are forecast to plummet to -20 degrees in some parts of the country.
In addition, the extreme cold could lead many people to use alternative heating methods, such as burning coal or wood or using generators powered by electric or diesel heaters, which carry health risks, including exposure to toxic substances that are harmful to children, the elderly and people with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, as well as burns and accidental injuries.
«We expect 2 to 3 million more people to leave their homes in search of warmth and safety. They will face unique health challenges, including respiratory infections such as COVID-19, pneumonia and influenza, and the serious risk of diphtheria and measles in under-vaccinated populations,» WHO said in a statement.
All in all, these events will take their toll on the mental health of Ukrainians, as in the ninth month of war, an estimated 10 million people are at risk of suffering from mental disorders such as acute stress, anxiety, depression, substance use and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Against this backdrop, the UN organization has stressed that Ukraine needs sustained resources to get the health system through the winter and beyond, items that will be high on the agenda at next month’s Ukraine Conference in Paris, under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski.
«I urgently call for the creation of a humanitarian health corridor in all newly recaptured and occupied areas. WHO and our partners are ready to mobilize at any time,» Kluge reiterated.
«I reiterate my call to both parties to allow urgent humanitarian access to meet people’s health needs. Access to medical care cannot be held hostage,» he added.
