More than 100,000 people reached with key health interventions at Ukraine’s frontlines

24 February 2023 

WHO in Ukraine has delivered essential medicines and supplies to areas close to the frontline in Ukraine this week, reaching up to 118 000 people with key health interventions.

Up to 12 interagency UN humanitarian convoys reached more than a dozen settlements in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions with supplies including interagency health kits, trauma supplies and medicines to treat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

“The delivery of these convoys marks an important moment in ensuring that populations have access to essential health care and other needs in areas that have been significantly damaged by the war,” explained Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine. 

“WHO has delivered up to 3000 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine since 24 February 2022, thanks to the work of the WHO Ukraine Incident Management Team. These include power generators for hospitals and health care facilities, ambulances and medicines for chronic diseases, and we continue to deliver to ensure health needs are being met in these areas. These supplies will save lives.”

The supplies were made possible with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Government of Germany, Government of Canada, European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  

More interagency UN convoys continue to arrive in hard-to-reach areas in Ukraine. Other UN agencies that have joined the convoys are the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and nongovernmental organizations.  

Background

Since 24 February 2022, WHO has delivered up to 3000 metric tonnes of lifesaving medical supplies across the country to ensure the health system can recover from the effects of the war and ensure populations have access to essential medicines and supplies. More than 8 million people were reached with key health interventions by WHO in 2022. 

Key figures (since 24 February 2022) include:

• 35 000 patients treated with trauma and emergency surgery kits; 
• 1.9 million people treated with emergency health supply kits; 
• 5.6 million people with NCDs supported with NCD kits;
• 85 power generators delivered to health care facilities; 
• 41 000 vaccinations delivered, with more than half to protect against COVID-19, about one-third against diphtheria, and the remainder against measles and polio; 
• more than 60 repurposed buses delivered to support vaccination efforts across the country; 
• 59 ambulances donated;
• cholera kits delivered to treat up to 4000 people; and 
• 4500 assistive products delivered to 11 trauma hospitals to support rehabilitation for 2500 patients.

www.who.int/europe/news/item/24-02-2023-more-than-100-000-people-reached-with-key-health-interventions-at-ukraine-s-frontlines 

For further information please contact Rayyan Sabet Parry: rsabetparry@who.int