WHO official says more than 70 people have been killed in attacks on Ukrainian health care workers
Ukraine's health care infrastructure has seen daily attacks, according to the head of the World Health Organization in Ukraine. Among the hospitals that have been bombed were two maternity hospitals.
"And it's not only hospitals. It could be hospitals. It could be the primary care centers. We have seen many attacks to the ambulances. We have 71 deaths and a number of injuries also through those attacks," the WHO's Dr. Jarno Habicht told 60 Minutes. "These are the health care workers, patients, those who have been in the facilities."
Habicht spoke with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley for a report airing this Sunday. He noted the loss of morale that comes when a hospital is attacked.
"You lose hope, because many people go to hospital because they want to get the care," Habicht said. "And when hospitals are attacked, you don't have those places where you can actually get healed and be treated."
But it's not just hope that's lost. Dr. John Roberts from the International Medical Corps, an American charity distributing medical supplies in Ukraine, told Pelley the breakdown in Ukraine's health care system means normally simple services are suddenly out of reach for many.
"People think 'war,' they think it's all gunshot wounds and bombs. But when you don't have the health care system there, everything else that's not normally a problem all of a sudden becomes a problem," Roberts told Pelley. "So for instance something as simple as blood pressure medication, or medication for heart failure, or diabetes, getting your insulin, that goes away."
Roberts and Pelley eventually saw their interview interrupted by an air raid siren. Pelley's full report, including conversations with other aid workers who were caught in harm's way, airs Sunday on 60 Minutes.
Editor's note: This article has been updated for clarity.
