Destruction of healthcare system plunges Ukraine into a humanitarian disaster

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With maternity hospitals targeted by Russian forces, and maternity wards turned over to treating casualties, expectant and new mothers and their babies in Ukraine are especially vulnerable. (AFP)
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Updated 23 March 2022
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Destruction of healthcare system plunges Ukraine into a humanitarian disaster

  • Doctors and medics forced to care for the sick, the elderly and the wounded who cannot flee the war zone
  • Situation in besieged city of Mariupol particularly dire; neither can aid enter it nor civilians flee for safety

JEDDAH: Almost overnight, the war in Ukraine has compelled doctors and medics to become almost superhuman, forced to care for the sick, the elderly and the wounded who are in no position to flee the war-torn country, as health facilities come under air and artillery attack.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, some 43 assaults on health facilities have been documented by the World Health Organization’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care.

In 24 of the reported attacks, health facilities were either damaged or completely destroyed, while in five cases ambulances were hit. A total of 12 people were killed and 34 injured in these attacks, but aid agencies fear the nationwide toll is far higher.

“WHO strongly condemns acts of violence against health care,” the UN agency said in a statement on March 14. “Every single attack deprives people of life-saving services. Attacks on health care are violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.”

Disruption to trade and distribution has meant that oxygen, insulin, surgical supplies, anesthetics, transfusion kits and other medical supplies, including those for the management of pregnancy complications, are already running dangerously low across Ukraine.

“Supply chains have been severely disrupted,” the WHO said. “Many distributors are not operational, some stockpiles are inaccessible due to military operations, medical supplies are running low, and hospitals are struggling to provide care to the sick and wounded.”




With maternity hospitals targeted by Russian forces, and maternity wards turned over to treating casualties, expectant and new mothers and their babies in Ukraine are especially vulnerable. (AFP)

The deterioration of health infrastructure has also led to mounting concerns about hypothermia, frostbite and respiratory diseases in the extreme cold. Alarm bells are also ringing for mental health issues, and a lack of treatment for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers.

“Faced with this grim and escalating crisis, we are mobilizing a massive relief effort,” said Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, while announcing a $40 million fund on March 14 to support aid agencies.

The scene is, unfortunately, all too familiar. Burning buildings, people packed in bomb shelters for safety, the injured carried off by paramedics, and the deceased covered by pieces of cardboard waiting to be transferred to a morgue to be identified by their next of kin.




Children displaced from Ukraine play at charity center in Siret, Romania, on March 16, 2022. (Clodagh Kilcoyne / REUTERS)

“WHO is doing everything it its power to support the heroic health workers in Ukraine and to sustain and preserve the health system so that it may serve the people of Ukraine,” Alona Roshchenko, a spokesperson for the WHO country office in Ukraine, told Arab News. 

“To do that, WHO and its partners need further financial support. We need $57.2 million to provide essential health services, including trauma care, for 6 million people for the next three months, but our emergency appeal for Ukraine and neighboring countries is only 5.2 percent funded so far.”

In a joint statement issued on March 13, the WHO, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on healthcare professionals and facilities in Ukraine.

“To attack the most vulnerable — babies, children, pregnant women and those already suffering from illness and disease, and health workers risking their own lives to save lives — is an act of unconscionable cruelty,” they said.

Possibly the most shocking images to emerge from Ukraine in recent days were those depicting the appalling aftermath of a missile strike on a maternity hospital in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on March 9.




A Ukrainian man injured during Russian attack receives treatment in the central hospital of Mykolaiv, western Ukraine on March 8, 2022.  (Videograb from police handout/AFP)

At least three people were killed in that attack, including a young girl, while another pregnant woman wounded in the attack died along with her baby on March 14. Photographs of the women being stretchered out of the ruins have become emblematic of the war’s brutal toll on civilians.

According to UNFPA, the UN’s reproductive health agency, two other Ukrainian maternity hospitals had already been attacked and destroyed before that strike.

Nestled on the outskirts of Kyiv, Leleka Maternity Hospital provides the best birthing experience to expectant mothers. Today, the maternity hospital is a general hospital treating wounded soldiers while providing urgent obstetric care.

“It’s really hard to understand what’s going on in Kyiv now,” Vadim Zukin, COO of Lela Maternity Hospital, told Arab News. “Personally, I have never imagined this could be a reality in Europe. Such pictures I’ve seen only in the movies before.”

Dr. Paulouski Maksim, head of the cardiac anaesthesias department, ICU and ECLS department at Feofaniya Clinical Hospital in Kyiv, told Arab News the facility has struggled to maintain oxygen and blood supplies.

IN NUMBERS

36 tons - Vital medical supplies that have reached Lviv (WHO).

10 tons - Trauma and emergency surgery kits that have reached Kyiv (WHO).

$40 million - allocated from the Central Emergency Fund to enhance aid agencies’ efforts.

6.7 million - Ukrainians internally displaced.

2.8 million - Ukrainians who have crossed into neighboring countries.

“We have problems with fibrinogen concentrate, a human blood coagulation factor to treat acute bleeding episodes, and cryoprecipitate, a frozen blood product prepared from blood plasma,” he said. 

“Consumables for thromboelastography, a method for testing blood coagulation, have also run out. There are not enough systems for rapid infusion. Ukrainian hospitals need equipment and medicines. Antibiotics, hemostatics, blood preparation equipment.”

Patients at the National Children’s Hospital Ohmatdyt, the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, located near central Kyiv, awoke last week to the sound of intense shelling.

According to Dr. Serhyi Chernyshuk, medical director at Ohmatdyt, many of the women, children and elderly patients have already been evacuated to safer areas in the west of the country to make way for the war-wounded. 




This satellite image taken on March 14, 2022 shows a hospital and apartment buildings destroyed during a Russian air barrage in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Maxar Technologies / AFP) 

“We started treating injuries caused by combat actions including adults, many of our patients and staff staying in the basement continuously and medical supplies are available,” said Chernyshuk. 

“If the situation gets worse, we’re going to have to evacuate patients through organizations if at least one way from Kyiv is open to the western part of Ukraine and abroad if necessary,” he said.

What was once a hospital treating 600 in-patients and 1,000 out-patients per day has now moved most of its consultations online for patients’ safety, restricting physical visits to just 200 per day.

Dr. Lesia Lysytsia, an ophthalmologist at Ohmatdyt, has been staying at the hospital with her husband and their two young daughters. “Treating patients under a stressful situation is something unknown to us,” Lysytsia told Arab News.




This picture shows a field hospital set up by the US relief group Samaritan's Purse at an underground parking lot of a shopping mall in Sokilnyky, western Ukraine. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP)

“We’ve evacuated all patients from Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol and Cherniv. Some patients were also evacuated from Kyiv to Lviv and were met by doctors at the border to check their situation, give patients supplies if necessary, before they move to Poland, where they’re met by doctors from St. Jude’s Hospital,” she said.

“It’s impossible to evacuate everyone and send them off to Europe. This is the most difficult part and tough decisions have to be made.” 

Moscow says its “special military operation” in Ukraine is aimed at protecting Russia’s security and that of Russian-speaking people in the eastern Donbass region. Western nations have accused Russia of invading a sovereign country and of committing war crimes.

Almost 3.5 million people have crossed into neighboring countries since the invasion began — the majority heading west into Poland — resulting in the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country, which means those crossing into neighboring countries are predominantly women, children, older people and those living with disabilities, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

“Providing aid is putting bandages on mortal wounds right now,” said Roshchenko of the WHO country office. “Violent conflict is driving the health and humanitarian crisis, which will not stop unless there is a ceasefire and peace.” 


Indonesian president inaugurates Hajj and Umrah airport terminal in Jakarta

President Prabowo Subianto, third from left, and Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi inaugurate Hajj and Umrah Terminal.
Updated 04 May 2025
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Indonesian president inaugurates Hajj and Umrah airport terminal in Jakarta

  • Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have started departing for Saudi Arabia since Friday
  • Kingdom’s Makkah Route initiative will be implemented at new Hajj and Umrah terminal

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated on Sunday a special terminal for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims at Jakarta’s international airport, where travel will also be facilitated under Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative.

Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim-majority population, sends the highest number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims every year.

As pilgrims around the world have already begun to make their way to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, about 221,000 people will be coming from Indonesia.

“The government wants to give the best service for our pilgrims. We also understand that many of our pilgrims are seniors, and so we must take very good care of them,” Subianto said during the inauguration ceremony at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“We understand that our pilgrims have saved up for a long time, and even waited for a long time, and so the government under my leadership will do our very best to give the best services and work hard to lower the cost of Hajj.”

The airport’s 2F terminal area, which has undergone renovations, has been transformed into a dedicated area for Indonesia’s Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. It was developed to serve 6.1 million travelers annually, according to a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.

The launch event was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal Abdullah Amodi, as well as other Indonesian ministers, including Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.

Special counters for Saudi immigration, which are part of the Kingdom’s Makkah Route initiative, have also been set up at the new terminal.

The program launched in Muslim-majority countries in 2019 allows Hajj pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements in one place, at the airport of origin, and save long hours of waiting before and upon reaching the Kingdom.

In Indonesia, pilgrims departing from the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya and Solo are benefiting from the Makkah Route initiative.

“As President Prabowo said, this is proof of the government’s commitment to give the best service, especially for our senior pilgrims. He is also proud of the modern and comfortable facilities that have been set up,” Umar, the religious affairs minister, said on social media.

Thousands of Indonesian pilgrims have begun to depart for Saudi Arabia, after the first Hajj flights commenced last Friday.

Though the pilgrimage itself can be performed over five or six days, many pilgrims arrive early to make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill their religious duty.

In 2025, the Hajj is expected to take place on June 4 and end on June 9.


Five policemen kidnapped in southwestern Pakistan

Updated 04 May 2025
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Five policemen kidnapped in southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA: A separatist militant group in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday claimed an attack on a prison van in which five police officers were taken hostage.
Between 30 and 40 gunmen blocked a major highway that cuts across Balochistan province overnight on Friday, intercepting a prison van being transported by a police team, a police official said.
“The prisoners were released later but five policemen have been kidnapped,” a senior police official in the area, who was not authorized to speak to the media, told AFP on Sunday.
He said a rescue operation was underway.
The gunmen also set fire to government buildings and a bank in the area.
A senior government official, who asked not to be named, said that two gunmen were killed by security forces.
Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals, and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active group in the region, claimed the assault in Kalat district.
The BLA has previously targeted energy projects receiving foreign financing — most notably from China.
In March, the group seized a train, taking hundreds of passengers hostage and killing off-duty security forces in a three-day seige.


Two dead, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash

Updated 04 May 2025
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Two dead, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash

  • he health ministry, cited by state news agency Hina, said several badly hurt people had undergone operations in hospital

ZAGREB: Two people died and 31 people were injured when a Bosnian-registered coach and a car crashed into each other in Croatia on Sunday, police and medical staff said.
The accident occurred at 3:00 am (0100 GMT) on a busy freeway some 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the capital, Zagreb.
The casualties were taken to nearby hospitals, police spokeswoman Maja Filipovic told AFP, adding that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes.
The health ministry, cited by state news agency Hina, said several badly hurt people had undergone operations in hospital.
Photos published by local media showed a double-decker bus lying on its side in the middle of the freeway with its windows broken.


15 killed in head-on road crash in South Africa

Updated 04 May 2025
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15 killed in head-on road crash in South Africa

  • South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network
  • Road accidents claimed more than 11,800 lives in 2023

JOHANNESBURG: A night-time collision between a packed minibus taxi and a pick-up truck has killed 15 people in rural South Africa, a transport official said on Sunday.
Five people were in hospital with serious injuries after the crash at around midnight on Saturday to Sunday near the Eastern Cape town of Maqoma, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Johannesburg, provincial transport spokesman Unathi Binqose official told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
The drivers of both vehicles were among the dead and an inquest would be opened to determine what happened, Binqose said.
The victims included 13 passengers in the minibus, which was reportedly traveling from the town of Qonce to Cape Town, a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometers.
South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network. It also has a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
Road accidents claimed more than 11,800 lives in 2023, with pedestrians making up around 45 percent of the victims, according to the latest data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation.


Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Updated 04 May 2025
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Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

  • Fear of nuclear escalation has been a factor in US officials’ thinking since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said in comments broadcast on Sunday said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, and that he hoped it would not arise.
In a fragment of an upcoming interview with Russian state television published on Telegram, Putin said that Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a “logical conclusion.”
Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia from a state television reporter, Putin said: “There has been no need to use those (nuclear) weapons ... and I hope they will not be required.”
He said: “We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.”
Putin in February 2022 ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine, in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” against its neighbor.
Though Russian troops were repelled from Kyiv, Moscow’s forces currently control around 20 percent of Ukraine, including much of the south and east.
Putin has in recent weeks expressed willingness to negotiate a peace settlement, as US President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the conflict via diplomatic means.
Fear of nuclear escalation has been a factor in US officials’ thinking since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Former CIA Director William Burns has said there was a real risk in late 2022 that Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.