Medical oxygen supplies in Ukraine are falling “dangerously low,” the World Health Organization warned last night.
WHO said that trucks are unable to deliver supplies across the country, warning that hospitals could exhaust supplies within 24 hours.
There were also reports of a children’s hospital being bombed.
The country had a significant problem with COVID before the Russian invasion and has 1,700 patients in hospital. Extra oxygen is also needed for trauma patients and those developing sepsis along with women and babies going through childbirth, WHO said. It warned of an increase of at least 20% in requirements for oxygen.
Oxygen generating plants are also facing shortages of zeolite, the chemical used to help generate oxygen.
A joint statement by WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and European regional director Dr Hans Henri Kluge said: “During the crisis in Ukraine, health must remain a priority pillar of the humanitarian response, with health systems and facilities remaining protected, functional, safe and accessible to all who need essential medical services, and health workers protected so they can continue to save lives.
“This must include the safe and reliable provision of essential medical supplies, including life-saving medicinal oxygen supplies.”
They added: “Despite the challenges posed by the current situation, WHO is working to ensure a supply of oxygen-related medical devices and trauma treatment supplies.
“To achieve this, WHO is actively looking at solutions to increase supplies that likely would include the importation of oxygen (liquid and cylinders) from regional networks. These supplies would need safe transit, including via a logistics corridor through Poland. It is imperative to ensure that lifesaving medical supplies – including oxygen – reach those who need them.”
The violence continued to cause dismay among medical organisations.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health issued a statement condemning the invasion.
President Dr Camilla Kingdon said: “Reports from Ukraine are alarming. We have seen an orphanage bombed. A Neonatal Unit in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, was forced to move their patients to a basement bomb shelter. One of the largest children’s hospitals has been directly hit by rocket fire. Children are being traumatised and separated from their families. On behalf of paediatricians and the child health workforce in the UK and globally, we are sending a message of solidarity to our colleagues and friends in Ukraine. We know you are continuing to help those in your care and we stand with you.
“We condemn the attacks on Ukraine. We appeal to the international community asking for swift action to come together to stop the violence and suffering of the Ukrainian people and provide immediate aid and support to those in need, recognising the specific and life-long impact this violence will have on Ukrainian children and young people.”
British Medical Association deputy chair Dr David Wrigley said: “The principle of medical neutrality is fundamental to international humanitarian law and must be respected. Therefore, the BMA is calling on the Russian Government to acknowledge the role that doctors and the wider health service plays within Ukraine, and to stand by the moral obligation to ensure that the medical workforce can freely continue to care for patients, and save lives, without threat of violence or interruption.”
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