By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization has confirmed at least nine people had died in 16 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine since the start of a Russian invasion on Feb. 24, it said on Monday.
The WHO said the attacks https://extranet.who.int/ssa/LeftMenu/PublicReportList.aspx?start=2022-02-24&end=2022-03-07&countryList=229&typeList=0 took place between Feb. 24 and March 3. In addition to the nine deaths, 16 people were injured, including seven health workers.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter on Sunday that several attacks had occurred, without giving details, adding they were a violation of international humanitarian law.
The WHO gave no information on the perpetrators since its surveillance system has no mandate to collect information on them.
“They (health facilities) are protected by the international humanitarian law but it is still happening again,” Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told journalists on Monday. “This is very sad.”
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker)