KIEV – Jarno Habicht – the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Ukraine – said there is a need for focusing in Ukraine on humanitarian response.
“Three weeks ago, we dreamed that we could still do some of our development work, but the huge scale of the humanitarian crisis must be recognized,” he said.
“Right now, we need to focus on the humanitarian response, but also start thinking about the recovery phase, not knowing whether this war will end in the near future, or if it will last for a long time.”
“In Ukraine, we have always worked on emergency preparedness, but we started to do more hands-on work in October and November of last year. This included visits to the eastern part of Ukraine, filling our warehouses with supplies and delivering to selected hospitals, and bringing in colleagues from the regional office and headquarters to assess our operations,” he said.
“In December, we also set up our emergency medical teams, briefed authorities, and translated WHO guidelines and materials focused on armed conflicts into Ukrainian,” he added.
“Early this year, we also pre-positioned trauma supplies – essential life-saving materials and treatments for injuries – in our warehouses and hospitals, and Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO Regional Director, made a special visit to the country to discuss what needed to be done from a health perspective in the face of escalating violence,” he added. (MENA)
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