WHO chief condemns all attacks on health care, says they are against int\u2019l humanitarian law wherever they occur
\n GENEVA
\nSince the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, the World Health Organisation has verified 43 attacks on health care, the WHO chief said Wednesday.
\n\u201cWHO condemns all attacks on health care, wherever they occur. It is against international humanitarian law,\u201d said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a webinar on the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic.
\n\u201cWe continue to call for attacks on health care to stop.\u201d
\nHis condemnation came as the UN Human Rights Office announced that it had recorded 1,900 civilian casualties, including 726 deaths, in Ukraine since the start of the war, saying that the actual figures were \u201cconsiderably higher.\u201d
\nMike Ryan, WHO\u2019s executive director for health emergencies, said the attacks flouted international humanitarian law.
\n\u201cHealth is becoming a target in these situations.
\n\u201cIt is not only against humanitarian and international humanitarian law to carry out attacks like this, but also the responsibility of all parties in conflicts\u201d to avoid carrying them out, he said.
\nTedros underlined that in its appeal for Ukraine, WHO had received just $8 million of the $57.5 million it sought.
\n\u201cHuge amounts of money are being spent on weapons. We ask donors to invest in ensuring that civilians in Ukraine and refugees receive the care they need,\u201d said the WHO chief.
\nMore than 3 million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries since the Russia-Ukraine war started, according to the UN.
\nMore than 300 health facilities are along conflict lines or in areas that Russia now controls, and an additional 600 facilities are within 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) of the conflict line.
\n\u201cTragically, Ukraine is not the only place where patients, health workers, facilities, infrastructure, and supply are under attack,\u201d said Tedros.
\nHe added: \u201c2022 is only 75 days old, but already WHO has verified 89 attacks on health care around the world, in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Nigeria, the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and of course, Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHO chief condemns all attacks on health care, says they are against int\u2019l humanitarian law wherever they occur GENEVA Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, the World Health Organisation has verified 43 attacks on health care, the WHO chief said Wednesday. \u201cWHO condemns all attacks on health care, wherever they occur. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-249960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n