Destruction of healthcare system plunges Ukraine into a humanitarian disaster

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With maternity hospitals targeted by Russian forces, and maternity wards turned over to treating casualties, expectant and new mothers and their babies in Ukraine are especially vulnerable. (AFP)
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Updated 23 March 2022
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Destruction of healthcare system plunges Ukraine into a humanitarian disaster

  • Doctors and medics forced to care for the sick, the elderly and the wounded who cannot flee the war zone
  • Situation in besieged city of Mariupol particularly dire; neither can aid enter it nor civilians flee for safety

JEDDAH: Almost overnight, the war in Ukraine has compelled doctors and medics to become almost superhuman, forced to care for the sick, the elderly and the wounded who are in no position to flee the war-torn country, as health facilities come under air and artillery attack.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, some 43 assaults on health facilities have been documented by the World Health Organization’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care.

In 24 of the reported attacks, health facilities were either damaged or completely destroyed, while in five cases ambulances were hit. A total of 12 people were killed and 34 injured in these attacks, but aid agencies fear the nationwide toll is far higher.

“WHO strongly condemns acts of violence against health care,” the UN agency said in a statement on March 14. “Every single attack deprives people of life-saving services. Attacks on health care are violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.”

Disruption to trade and distribution has meant that oxygen, insulin, surgical supplies, anesthetics, transfusion kits and other medical supplies, including those for the management of pregnancy complications, are already running dangerously low across Ukraine.

“Supply chains have been severely disrupted,” the WHO said. “Many distributors are not operational, some stockpiles are inaccessible due to military operations, medical supplies are running low, and hospitals are struggling to provide care to the sick and wounded.”




With maternity hospitals targeted by Russian forces, and maternity wards turned over to treating casualties, expectant and new mothers and their babies in Ukraine are especially vulnerable. (AFP)

The deterioration of health infrastructure has also led to mounting concerns about hypothermia, frostbite and respiratory diseases in the extreme cold. Alarm bells are also ringing for mental health issues, and a lack of treatment for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers.

“Faced with this grim and escalating crisis, we are mobilizing a massive relief effort,” said Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, while announcing a $40 million fund on March 14 to support aid agencies.

The scene is, unfortunately, all too familiar. Burning buildings, people packed in bomb shelters for safety, the injured carried off by paramedics, and the deceased covered by pieces of cardboard waiting to be transferred to a morgue to be identified by their next of kin.




Children displaced from Ukraine play at charity center in Siret, Romania, on March 16, 2022. (Clodagh Kilcoyne / REUTERS)

“WHO is doing everything it its power to support the heroic health workers in Ukraine and to sustain and preserve the health system so that it may serve the people of Ukraine,” Alona Roshchenko, a spokesperson for the WHO country office in Ukraine, told Arab News. 

“To do that, WHO and its partners need further financial support. We need $57.2 million to provide essential health services, including trauma care, for 6 million people for the next three months, but our emergency appeal for Ukraine and neighboring countries is only 5.2 percent funded so far.”

In a joint statement issued on March 13, the WHO, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on healthcare professionals and facilities in Ukraine.

“To attack the most vulnerable — babies, children, pregnant women and those already suffering from illness and disease, and health workers risking their own lives to save lives — is an act of unconscionable cruelty,” they said.

Possibly the most shocking images to emerge from Ukraine in recent days were those depicting the appalling aftermath of a missile strike on a maternity hospital in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on March 9.




A Ukrainian man injured during Russian attack receives treatment in the central hospital of Mykolaiv, western Ukraine on March 8, 2022.  (Videograb from police handout/AFP)

At least three people were killed in that attack, including a young girl, while another pregnant woman wounded in the attack died along with her baby on March 14. Photographs of the women being stretchered out of the ruins have become emblematic of the war’s brutal toll on civilians.

According to UNFPA, the UN’s reproductive health agency, two other Ukrainian maternity hospitals had already been attacked and destroyed before that strike.

Nestled on the outskirts of Kyiv, Leleka Maternity Hospital provides the best birthing experience to expectant mothers. Today, the maternity hospital is a general hospital treating wounded soldiers while providing urgent obstetric care.

“It’s really hard to understand what’s going on in Kyiv now,” Vadim Zukin, COO of Lela Maternity Hospital, told Arab News. “Personally, I have never imagined this could be a reality in Europe. Such pictures I’ve seen only in the movies before.”

Dr. Paulouski Maksim, head of the cardiac anaesthesias department, ICU and ECLS department at Feofaniya Clinical Hospital in Kyiv, told Arab News the facility has struggled to maintain oxygen and blood supplies.

IN NUMBERS

36 tons - Vital medical supplies that have reached Lviv (WHO).

10 tons - Trauma and emergency surgery kits that have reached Kyiv (WHO).

$40 million - allocated from the Central Emergency Fund to enhance aid agencies’ efforts.

6.7 million - Ukrainians internally displaced.

2.8 million - Ukrainians who have crossed into neighboring countries.

“We have problems with fibrinogen concentrate, a human blood coagulation factor to treat acute bleeding episodes, and cryoprecipitate, a frozen blood product prepared from blood plasma,” he said. 

“Consumables for thromboelastography, a method for testing blood coagulation, have also run out. There are not enough systems for rapid infusion. Ukrainian hospitals need equipment and medicines. Antibiotics, hemostatics, blood preparation equipment.”

Patients at the National Children’s Hospital Ohmatdyt, the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, located near central Kyiv, awoke last week to the sound of intense shelling.

According to Dr. Serhyi Chernyshuk, medical director at Ohmatdyt, many of the women, children and elderly patients have already been evacuated to safer areas in the west of the country to make way for the war-wounded. 




This satellite image taken on March 14, 2022 shows a hospital and apartment buildings destroyed during a Russian air barrage in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Maxar Technologies / AFP) 

“We started treating injuries caused by combat actions including adults, many of our patients and staff staying in the basement continuously and medical supplies are available,” said Chernyshuk. 

“If the situation gets worse, we’re going to have to evacuate patients through organizations if at least one way from Kyiv is open to the western part of Ukraine and abroad if necessary,” he said.

What was once a hospital treating 600 in-patients and 1,000 out-patients per day has now moved most of its consultations online for patients’ safety, restricting physical visits to just 200 per day.

Dr. Lesia Lysytsia, an ophthalmologist at Ohmatdyt, has been staying at the hospital with her husband and their two young daughters. “Treating patients under a stressful situation is something unknown to us,” Lysytsia told Arab News.




This picture shows a field hospital set up by the US relief group Samaritan's Purse at an underground parking lot of a shopping mall in Sokilnyky, western Ukraine. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP)

“We’ve evacuated all patients from Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol and Cherniv. Some patients were also evacuated from Kyiv to Lviv and were met by doctors at the border to check their situation, give patients supplies if necessary, before they move to Poland, where they’re met by doctors from St. Jude’s Hospital,” she said.

“It’s impossible to evacuate everyone and send them off to Europe. This is the most difficult part and tough decisions have to be made.” 

Moscow says its “special military operation” in Ukraine is aimed at protecting Russia’s security and that of Russian-speaking people in the eastern Donbass region. Western nations have accused Russia of invading a sovereign country and of committing war crimes.

Almost 3.5 million people have crossed into neighboring countries since the invasion began — the majority heading west into Poland — resulting in the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country, which means those crossing into neighboring countries are predominantly women, children, older people and those living with disabilities, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

“Providing aid is putting bandages on mortal wounds right now,” said Roshchenko of the WHO country office. “Violent conflict is driving the health and humanitarian crisis, which will not stop unless there is a ceasefire and peace.” 


Bangladeshi police seek Interpol red notice for ex-PM Hasina

Updated 20 April 2025
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Bangladeshi police seek Interpol red notice for ex-PM Hasina

  • Authorities are also requesting Interpol red notice for Hasina’s ministers
  • Police move is part of trial process over student protest killings last year

DHAKA: Bangladeshi police have requested an Interpol red notice against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is wanted for alleged involvement in the killings of hundreds of people during student protests that forced her to step down and flee last year.

In early July, a student-led movement began with peaceful demonstrations initially sparked by opposition to public-sector job quotas.

But they were met with a violent crackdown by security forces after two weeks, which according to UN estimates left more than 600 people dead. The deaths led to a nationwide uprising that forced Hasina to resign and leave for neighboring India in early August, ending her 15 years in power.

By October, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal had issued arrest warrants for Hasina and more than 40 other people who are linked to the protest killings.

“The assistance from Interpol is being sought to repatriate the accused persons,” Enamul Haque Sagor, assistant inspector general at the Bangladesh Police Headquarters, told Arab News on Sunday.

“Our all-out efforts are there to make (the red notice issuance happen) as soon as possible.”

Red notices are published by Interpol, an intergovernmental organization of 196 member countries. They serve as requests for law enforcement around the world to detain individuals for whom member states have issued arrest warrants.

Bangladeshi police are also seeking red notices for 11 other people linked to the protest killings, including Hasina’s Awami League general secretary, Obaidul Quader, and former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

The red notice application was submitted at the request of the International Crimes Tribunal, which had sought police assistance after issuing the arrest warrant last year.

The special court will hear at least 70 cases related to the July-August violence.

Established in 2010 during Hasina’s rule, the International Crimes Tribunal is a domestic court responsible for investigating and prosecuting suspects of the 1971 genocide committed by the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It also has jurisdiction over other war crimes and crimes against humanity.


King Charles and Queen Camilla greet crowds after Easter service

Updated 20 April 2025
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King Charles and Queen Camilla greet crowds after Easter service

  • Prince Andrew’s attendance was notable after he was absent from the royals’ Christmas service amid scrutiny of his links with an alleged Chinese spy

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla briefly greeted onlookers after an Easter service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, an important fixture in the calendar of the monarch, who is supreme governor of the Church of England.
Charles and Camilla, who was wearing a pale blue hat and dress, were joined by the Princes Andrew and Edward, Anne, the Princess Royal, and other family members at the 15th Century chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Prince Andrew’s attendance was notable after he was absent from the royals’ Christmas service amid scrutiny of his links with an alleged Chinese spy. The scandal-hit prince was accompanied by his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York.
The king’s oldest son and heir William, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Catherine were absent. They are spending Easter with their children in Norfolk, east England.
Camilla, who was handed a posy of flowers, wished “Happy Easter” to members of the crowd after the Easter Matins service.
On Thursday, the king used his annual Easter message to reflect on war, human suffering and the heroism of those who risk their lives to help others.
In 2024, the Easter service was Charles’ first appearance at a public event following the announcement of his cancer diagnosis in the previous month.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, was also treated for cancer last year. She said in January she was relieved in be in remission.


India seeks to strengthen energy ties with Saudi Arabia during Modi’s visit

Updated 20 April 2025
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India seeks to strengthen energy ties with Saudi Arabia during Modi’s visit

  • Saudi-India trade worth nearly $43bn in 2023-24; energy alone worth $25.7bn
  • Modi, crown prince to co-chair second meeting of Saudi-India Strategic Partnership Council 

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for his third visit, as India seeks to strengthen strategic ties with the Kingdom, particularly in the energy sector.

During his two-day trip, Modi is scheduled to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, where they will hold bilateral talks and co-chair the second meeting of the Saudi-India Strategic Partnership Council.

“The visit is important also on account of the obvious significance of Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner for India … Saudi Arabia is a leading voice in the Islamic world, and is increasingly playing an important role in regional developments,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a press briefing on Saturday.

As premier, Modi made his first trip to Saudi Arabia in 2016. Following the crown prince’s first visit to India in February 2019, the Indian leader made his second trip to the Kingdom that October, when the two countries established the Strategic Partnership Council.

In 2023-24, Saudi-India trade reached nearly $43 billion, making India Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trading partner, while the Kingdom stands as New Delhi’s fifth-largest.

Saudi Arabia is “a key player” in India’s energy scenario, Misri said.

“We are looking at infusing an even more strategic outlook in the energy partnership between the two countries. And we expect that the forthcoming visit will have some developments related to this as well,” he added.

Bilateral energy trade alone was worth $25.7 billion in 2023-24, with Saudi Arabia being the third-largest source of India’s LPG, crude and petroleum imports.

Modi’s upcoming visit is a follow-up to the crown prince’s trip to India in 2023, when he attended the summit of the Group of 20 biggest economies.

This was followed by the crown prince’s state visit, which saw the two leaders co-chairing the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, and both countries signing around 50 initial pacts and agreeing to form a joint task force for a $100 billion Saudi investment in India.

“This is a very important visit as Saudi Arabia is one of the most important partners of India in the Gulf and Middle East region,” Muddassir Qamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Arab News on Sunday.

“It is also important as the visit to Saudi Arabia comes at a time of great regional turbulence and uncertainty in international politics, given that Saudi Arabia and India are two of the G20 members and have a similarity of views in regional and global issues.”

Two-way flow of investments, energy security, food security and defense cooperation are likely to be high on the agenda, he said, adding that discussions on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor Agreement are likely to be “top on the priority list,” referring to the trade connectivity plan.

As both countries are working on their respective development plans, namely the Saudi Vision 2030 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047, they have “ample opportunities to collaborate among businesses and the private sector” across various sectors, including energy, logistics and infrastructure, he added.

Modi’s trip will also boost India’s role in geopolitics, according to Mohammed Soliman, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C.

“Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia marks a pivotal moment in the deepening of the India-Saudi strategic partnership — strengthening economic ties with $40 billion in trade, securing vital energy supplies, and elevating India’s voice in West Asian geopolitics,” he told Arab News. 

“The visit positions India as a key player in West Asia.” 


Ethiopians celebrate Easter with calls for charity and peace

Ethiopian Orthodox Christian pilgrims light candles during the ceremony of the "Holy Fire" at the Deir Al-Sultan Monastery (AFP)
Updated 20 April 2025
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Ethiopians celebrate Easter with calls for charity and peace

  • During Fasika, as Easter is known, Christians of all denominations — including the majority Orthodox group — come together to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopians marked Easter festivities Sunday with vows to embrace sacrifice, love and peace in a country facing armed conflict and other challenges.
During Fasika, as Easter is known, Christians of all denominations — including the majority Orthodox group — come together to celebrate Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
For some Ethiopians, religious festivals in recent months have acquired more meaning with the conflict in the Amhara region and instability in neighboring Tigray, where a deadly war ended with a peace deal in 2022.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement that it “takes patience, humility and sacrifice to achieve dialogue and reconciliation to heal a nation.”
At the cathedral known as Medhane Alem in the capital Addis Ababa, mammoth congregations took part in services marked by acts of devotion, including kneeling and prostration. The public rituals attest to the passion of Christ.
The presiding priest, Leul Adbaru, urged the faithful to reflect on the meaning of the sacrifice made by Jesus. “Ethiopians ought to believe, understanding for whom Jesus Christ died for on the cross at Calvary,” he said.
Across Addis Ababa, lengthy church services were followed by feasts to mark the end of a 55-day fasting period.
Fitsum Getachew, a casual laborer in the city, waited hours to be served food at Medhane Alem, joining hundreds of worshippers in the meal that included traditional raw meat.
“At this feast prepared by our devout mothers we have partaken of all things, even chunks of raw meat and we are giving thanks unto God,” he said.
For church fundraisers and volunteers like Mulumebet Jembere, charity is the enduring spirit of Fasika. The poor will be looked after, she said.


Recovering pope delights crowds at Easter Sunday mass

Updated 13 min 50 sec ago
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Recovering pope delights crowds at Easter Sunday mass

  • Catholic faithful gathered Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, hoping Pope Francis would make an appearance despite his frail health that has kept him from

VATICAN CITY: Catholic faithful gathered Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, as Pope Francis made an appearance despite his frail health that has kept him from most Holy Week events.
The 88-year-old pontiff traditionally delivers his “Urbi et Orbi” benediction from a balcony overlooking the square following mass to mark the holiday.
But given his delicate health following treatment for pneumonia, it was unknown whether the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics would be present, and in what capacity.
The Holy See’s press service had said the pope hoped to attend but had not confirmed his participation, insisting it depended on his health.
That did not stop crowds of faithful from gathering Sunday under hazy skies in the sprawling plaza decorated with brightly-colored tulips in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Jesuit pope.
Marie Manda, 59, from Cameroon, was one of those thinking positive.
“Of course we hope to see the pope but if he’s not here and he’s still suffering we’ll see his representative,” she told AFP.
“But we want to see the pope, even sick we want to see him!“
Indian tourist Rajesh Kumar, 40, however, said he had no idea it was Easter when he booked his holiday with his wife.
“After coming here we realized there is a festival going on, the pope is going to give a speech, so we just entered and we are ready for it,” he said.
Francis was released from hospital on March 23, after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia, from which he nearly died.
His voice remains weak, despite improvements in his breathing. In the last week, Francis has appeared in public twice without the nasal cannula through which he has been receiving oxygen.
He could delegate the reading of his Easter text — usually a reflection on conflicts and crises around the world — to someone else.
For the first time since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has missed the majority of Holy Week events, such as Friday’s Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum and Saturday’s Easter vigil at Saint Peter’s Basilica, where he delegated his duties to cardinals.
He did, however, make a brief appearance inside the basilica Saturday, where he prayed and gave candies to some children among the visitors.
Some 300 cardinals, bishops and priests will be present at Sunday’s Easter mass.
Organizers expect even bigger crowds than usual due to the Jubilee, a “Holy Year” in the Catholic Church which comes around once every quarter of a century and attracts thousands of pilgrims to the Eternal City.
The weekend was also noteworthy for the presence of US Vice President JD Vance in Rome.
He held talks on Saturday with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states.
That came just two months after a spat between Francis and the administration of US President Donald Trump over its anti-migrant policies.
Neither the Vatican nor the vice president’s office have commented on any possible meeting between Francis and Vance, and it was unknown whether the vice president planned to attend Sunday mass.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the college of cardinals, presided over Saturday night’s solemn Easter vigil in place of Francis.
Francis performed one official engagement this Holy Week, visiting a jail in Rome, but he did not perform the traditional foot-washing ritual, which seeks to imitate Jesus Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet.
Asked by a journalist after his visit what he felt about this Easter week in his current condition, the pope replied: “I am living it as best I can.”
This year’s Easter is unusual as it falls on the same weekend in both the Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity, which follow the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox branch, which uses the Julian calendar.