Ukraine hospitals could run out of oxygen supplies in 24 hours as war disrupts health services, WHO says

A woman holds a child as people arrive at a train station converted into a refugee center, at the border control between Poland and Ukraine, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Przemysl, Poland, February 25, 2022.

The World Health Organization says that Russia's invasion of the country could put thousands of lives at risk.

The WHO said in a statement Sunday that trucks are unable to transport oxygen supplies from plants to hospitals around the country, including the capital, which faced a barrage of Russian missile attacks overnight.

The oxygen supply situation in Ukraine is close to a very dangerous point, according to a statement from the WHO. Some have run out. They said this puts thousands of lives at risk.

According to the WHO, Ukraine needs 25% more oxygen supplies than it did before Russia invaded. The global health agency called for the establishment of a safe transit corridor to increase oxygen supplies to Ukraine.

Tedros and Kluge said that it is important to ensure that medical supplies reach those who need them.

According to the WHO, critical hospital services are under threat. The global health agency said that ambulances transporting patients are in danger of being caught in the crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

Oxygen supplies are crucial for patients with Covid-19, as well as people with health problems stemming from pregnancy and childbirth, chronic illnesses, sepsis, injuries and trauma, according to the WHO. There are over 1,700 people hospitalized with Covid.

The World Health Organization said that Ukraine had made significant progress in its health-care system before Russia invaded.

A report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that there has been a surge of omicron Covid infections in Ukraine. As civilians flee the Russian invasion, the country faces an increased risk of Covid. According to the U.N. report, another Covid outbreak and increasing numbers of people injured in the war will put even more pressure on the Ukrainian health-care system.

According to the U.N. report, Ukrainians have suffered at least 240 civilian casualties since the Russian invasion began. The U.N. believes the number of civilian casualties is much higher.

The U.N. refugee agency says that more than 368,000 people have fled to European countries. 5 million refugees could be caused by the Russian invasion, according to the Ukrainian government.

Many Ukrainians are moving to other countries. The scale of the humanitarian crisis will test the capacity of neighboring nations according to the U.N. Information in Ukrainian, Russian and English has been posted by the U.N refugee agency.

Hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed, and the shelling of bridges and roads has left some communities cut off from markets, according to the U.N.

The ongoing conflict has caused a growing number of civilian casualties, interrupted livelihoods and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including hundreds of homes, water and Sanitation infrastructure, schools and health facilities.

The fighting has forced the U.N. agencies and international humanitarian organizations to stop their response activities. According to the U.N. report, the UN and its partners are prepared to scale-up operations when they have better access to the hardest-hit areas.