The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “concerned” on Wednesday by reports of attacks on hospitals and medical targets during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We are very concerned about reports of attacks on health facilities,” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus told an online press conference.
“The sanctity and neutrality of health care, including health care workers, supplies, transport and facilities for patients, as well as the right to safe access to care must be respected and protected,” said he pointed out.
The WHO reiterated its call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors, in particular to transport oxygen, the reserves of which in Ukraine are very low.
A first shipment of WHO medical equipment, including surgical kits, is due to arrive in Poland on Thursday, she said.
According to the UN organization, an incident was confirmed last week, a heavy weapon attack on a hospital that killed four people and injured 10, including six health workers.
The WHO is currently verifying several other reported attacks, according to its leader.
During the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that Russian airborne troops had landed in Kharkhiv and attacked a hospital in the second city of the country, close to the Russian border.
The UN estimates that one million people have been displaced inside Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. Some 660,000 people have already left Ukraine for neighboring countries, a figure that is expected to increase “rapidly”, the UN has warned.