Men use sheets of plywood to cover windows of a hospital following shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Zhytomyr, Ukraine March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo
GENEVA - The World Health Organization and two other United Nations agencies called on Sunday for an immediate stop to attacks on healthcare in Ukraine, saying these were killing and injuring patients and workers and depriving thousands of health care.
In a joint statement, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the executive directors of UNICEF and UNFPA, the U.N.'s children's fund and its population fund respectively, called for healthcare to be shielded from all acts of violence.
Attacks on healthcare facilities and services since the start of the war have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries, and affected access to health services, they said.
"Today, we call for an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine," they said.
"These horrific attacks are killing and causing serious injuries to patients and health workers, destroying vital health infrastructure and forcing thousands to forgo accessing health services despite catastrophic needs," they added.
The agencies added they were "working with partners to scale up life-saving services and support to meet urgent health needs." (Writing by Paul Carrel Editing by Frances Kerry)
