New Delhi: A majority of hospitals in Ukraine could exhaust their oxygen reserve in the next 24 hours, putting thousands of lives at risk, the WHO has warned.
“The oxygen supply situation is nearing a very dangerous point in Ukraine. Trucks are unable to transport oxygen supplies from plants to hospitals across the country, including capital Kyiv,” the WHO said in a statement Sunday.
Manufacturers of medical oxygen generators in several parts of the eastern European nation are facing a shortage of zeolite, a component needed to make the life-saving gas. Safe delivery of zeolite, which is mostly imported, to various areas of Ukraine has been difficult.
“The majority of hospitals could exhaust their oxygen reserves within the next 24 hours. Some have already run out. This puts thousands of lives at risk,” the WHO added.
Critical hospital services have also been jeopardised by electricity and power shortages, while ambulances transporting patients are in danger of getting caught in crossfire.
WHO helping Ukraine with oxygen supply
In recent years, Ukraine has improved its health systems under an ambitious reform programme with support from the WHO. This included scaling up oxygen therapy to treat critically-ill patients with Covid-19. This progress is now at risk of being derailed due to the ongoing crisis.
The WHO has been helping Ukrainian health authorities address the country’s current oxygen supply needs. However, oxygen-related supplies would need safe transit, including a logistics corridor via Poland.
Post Russia’s military invasion last week, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry had recently said that 352 civilians have been killed so far, including 14 children. The ministry also said an additional 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been wounded as of Sunday in the conflict.
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