At least 3,000 people have died in Ukraine as a result of a lack of access to chronic disease medications, according to the World Health Organization’s European leader.

According to Hans Kluge, a WHO official who spoke at a regional meeting attended by 53 member states and top WHO colleagues, the global health agency has documented almost 200 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine so far.

“40% of households have at least one member in need of chronic treatment that they can no longer find, resulting in an estimated at least 3,000 premature avoidable deaths,” he said in a speech, mentioning diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer.

Last week, WHO officials said they were compiling evidence for a future war crimes probe into strikes it claims Russia is responsible for. continue reading Russia has refuted allegations of suspected war crimes made by Ukraine and Western countries, as well as allegations that the war is targeting civilians.

WHO members will discuss sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine at the summit, which will be held in Copenhagen and broadcast live to many people around the world.

Russia is a member who has spoken out against the resolution. “We believe that WHO, in addressing the issue of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, should be strictly guided by the provisions of its Constitution, stick to the scope of its mandate, and not politicize the cooperation in the field of health care,” Russian envoy Andrey Plutnitsky said.

Some have criticised the WHO’s initiatives, claiming that they are insufficient. “Shutting down Russia’s European hub seemed moderate. Putin is unconcerned “Lawrence Gostin, a professor of law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., who follows the WHO regularly, remarked

Due to procedural issues, diplomats told Reuters that plans to suspend Russia from the WHO executive board had been abandoned, while members may seek to restrict Russia’s voting rights later this month.

Moscow has been conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine since February 24 to disarm the country and cleanse it of anti-Russian nationalism fueled by the West. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of launching an unjustified aggressive campaign.

(Source:www.nationalpost.com)

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