Ukraine Struggles to Save Lives, WHO Warns
Kyiv: Ukraine’s healthcare system is buckling under the weight of relentless Russian attacks, with over 800 drones and missiles striking the capital and other cities on Sunday, marking one of the most extensive assaults since the war began in February 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported today.
As millions of Ukrainians face another winter of conflict, the barrage has intensified pressure on medical facilities, disrupted essential services, and deepened a mental health crisis, leaving aid workers and civilians grappling with life-or-death challenges.
Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO’s representative in Ukraine, speaking from Kyiv to reporters in Geneva, detailed the escalating crisis following a recent visit to the frontline Zaporizhzhia region. He described “relentless” attacks on healthcare infrastructure, with a 12 per cent year-on-year increase in strikes targeting medical facilities. One in four attacks has hit ambulances, critical for emergency care. “If we think about non-war environments, when anybody calls an ambulance, this is for a reason,” Dr. Habicht said. “This is for a reason of life and death… But in Ukraine, the ambulances are under attack.”
The United Nations humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) reported casualties across multiple cities, including Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, and Kherson, following the recent strikes. Attacks on energy infrastructure have disrupted power and water supplies, heightening concerns as winter approaches. “We need to prepare for a winter in war because we don’t see peace in sight,” Dr. Habicht said, emphasising the need to keep heating stations operational and ensure clean water access in healthcare facilities.
The mental health burden of the conflict is staggering, with the WHO’s April 2025 Health Needs Assessment revealing that 70 per cent of Ukrainians reported issues such as anxiety, depression, and severe stress over the past year, directly linked to attacks on civilian infrastructure. Dr. Habicht, who visited hospital wards in Zaporizhzhia on Monday, observed numerous patients over 60 requiring rehabilitation after strokes, highlighting that chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease persist amid the war. “All the other diseases are continuing at the time of war,” he said, stressing that “recovery cannot wait” until the conflict ends.
WHO is delivering medical kits to facilities treating trauma patients, with daily injuries reported across Ukraine. However, resources are critically limited. Only 35.5 per cent of the required humanitarian funding—approximately $46 million—has been secured in the first half of 2025, enabling WHO and its partners to reach one million people out of a targeted three million. Dr. Habicht called for increased funding to address immediate humanitarian needs while also supporting recovery and restoration efforts.
“This is a reality [which] many aid workers, humanitarians, but most importantly, millions of Ukrainians are living day and night,” Dr. Habicht said, noting the unique challenge of managing ongoing war, humanitarian demands, and recovery simultaneously. As Ukraine braces for another harsh winter, the resilience of its people and healthcare workers remains vital, but escalating attacks and funding shortfalls threaten to overwhelm an already fragile system.
– global bihari bureau
