War in Ukraine: situation report from WHO Country Office in Ukraine: issue No. 67, 25 January 2024

EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 1Page Issue No. 67 25 January 2024 17H00 CET WHO Country Office in Ukraine - WHO ERF GRADE 3 Strengthening emergency response coordination: national Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell training course in Lviv In a collaborative effort, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Secretariat at WHO headquarters, and the WHO Country Office for Ukraine conducted a comprehensive national EMT Coordination Cell training course in Lviv. The primary objective of this initiative was to introduce and enhance the understanding of coordination, aiming to establish a seamless emergency response management system for both national and international EMTs. This training aligns with WHO’s broader commitment to bolster preparedness planning and improve the coordination of emergency responses. EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 2Page © WHO © WHO A total of 39 participants completed the training, representing 25 oblasts and including key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, regional centers for disease control, the State Services of Ukraine for Emergency Situations (SESU), and the Centre for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. The five-day training programme covered the methodology of coordinating EMTs and culminated in a rigorous 36-hour simulation exercise, testing the participants’ individual and team-based knowledge in a simulated disaster scenario. WHO has recently finalized the installation of 15 generators in key health facilities across various oblasts in Ukraine. The project, aligning with WHO’s readiness and winterization plan, covers critical regions, including Mykolayiv, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Vinnytsya, Kirovohrad, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. The installations target various medical facilities, from general hospitals to specialized centres such as cardiology units and disease control and prevention centres. The primary objective behind this initiative is to provide a reliable and uninterrupted power supply in health-care facilities, essential for the operation of vital medical equipment. Safety is a key feature of the installed generators, which are equipped with automatic switches to rapidly respond to power outages. WHO completes installation of 15 generators in key health-care facilities in Ukraine EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 3Page • In conjunction with these installations, WHO has conducted the “Ukraine: 2023–2024 Winter Risk Assessment”, a comprehensive analysis of the unique challenges faced by Ukraine in winter, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict. This assessment examines the public health impacts of extreme cold weather, with a focus on the vulnerabilities of older people, children, and people with chronic illnesses. It also addresses the compounded challenges arising from war-related infrastructure damage and population displacement, emphasizing the need for coordinated preparation and response strategies to effectively support and protect vulnerable populations in harsh winter conditions and during conflict. Key findings of this assessment include a contextual analysis of the winter season, hazards of severe cold weather, vulnerability factors, challenges in accessing and delivering health services, coping capacity, public health risk assessment, and prevention and mitigation strategies. These initiatives underscore WHO’s commitment to addressing both immediate and long-term challenges, reinforcing health-care infrastructure, and safeguarding the well-being of communities in Ukraine facing multiple adversities. © WHO / Ivano-Frankivsk oblast © WHO / Kirovohrad Veterans’ Hospital © WHO / Mykolayiv oblast © WHO / Zaporizhzhya Center for Disease Control EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 4Page WHO ramps up support in the aftermath of recent attacks on Ukrainian cities In response to the Russian Federation’s recent attacks on Ukrainian cities, WHO has significantly increased its support to the affected areas. On 29 December, Dnipro City suffered a severe strike that killed seven people, injured more than 30 others, and damaged a maternity house building. Following an appeal from the local Department of Health, WHO promptly provided support to the hospitals treating the injured, and delivered essential medical supplies, including materials for burn treatment and plaster casting, in early January 2024. Similarly, during the 2023–2024 holiday season, the city of Zaporizhzhya experienced missile strikes that left nine people dead and 13 people injured, and damaged educational institutions and a medical facility. The local Hospital of Emergency Care, working with the Department of Health, requested WHO’s assistance. In January 2024, WHO supplied the Zaporizhzhya medical facility with vital medical infusions and dressing materials. The collaborative efforts between WHO, local health authorities, and emergency care facilities demonstrate the importance of swift and coordinated response in times of crisis. WHO is committed to providing continued support and strengthening the health-care infrastructure in Ukraine, focusing on both immediate and long-term health needs in regions impacted by the war. © WHO EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 5Page 59 7 830 000 3 800 000 3 522 045 Attacks on Health Care reported by WHO SSA tool People in need People targeted by Health Cluster partners Internally displaced persons (IDPs) KEY FIGURES Key humanitarian numbers EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 6Page Throughout 2023 and in early 2024, WHO has been a key participant in 91 humanitarian aid convoys in Ukraine, working in collaboration with various humanitarian agencies to address the ongoing crisis in the region. These convoys, coordinated by the Humanitarian Operations Planning Cell, have been crucial in delivery to aid to front- line areas and locations experiencing intense conflict or recently retaken by Ukrainian forces. Specifically, in December 2023 and January 2024, WHO supported UN interagency humanitarian convoys to critical regions such as Kherson and Donetsk oblasts to provide medical care and essential supplies to local communities. During these missions, WHO, alongside UN and other partners, distributed life-saving medical supplies, medicines, equipment, and consumables to ensure continued access to primary health care. In addition to these efforts, WHO is currently procuring over-the-counter (OTC) kits, with the packing process for 1000 kits set to begin. To support this initiative, WHO has created and printed 5000 brochures detailing the contents of the OTC kits, which will be included in the kits. Plans for distribution include collaboration with NGOs to distribute 700 OTC kits in the Kherson area and coordination with the Inter-Agency Coordination in Donetsk oblast to distribute 300 additional kits. Negotiations with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) concerning distribution agreements are ongoing, and WHO expects the distribution of the OTC kits to begin at the end of February 2024 at the earliest. WHO’s humanitarian interagency convoys in Ukraine (2023–2024) EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 7Page Health Cluster Ukraine partners review activities for 2023 In December 2023, Health Cluster Ukraine organized a Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring (CCPM) workshop in Kyiv. It brought together 30 partner organizations to discuss the results of a performance survey conducted prior to the workshop. The survey evaluated the Cluster’s activities based on the six plus one core functions. The workshop facilitated group discussions to document lessons learned from the 2023 response and identify areas for improvement in 2024. It also addressed partners’ views on categorizing activities within the humanitarian development divide in Ukraine. Additionally, a new Strategic Advisory Group was elected to guide the Cluster’s activities in 2024, consisting of four international NGOs, two national NGOs, representatives from the MoH, as well as UN agencies and observers (International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières). © WHO EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 8Page On 15 January 2024, around 125 Health Cluster partners in Ukraine participated in the online launch of the Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plans for Ukraine in 2024. The event, led by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, highlighted the 14.6 million people requiring humanitarian assistance, including 7.8 million in need of health assistance. The event, which featured remarks from the UN Resident Coordinator for Ukraine and was attended by representatives of the Government of Ukraine, NGOs, and UN agencies (including WHO country leadership), emphasized the need for US$ 145 million to provide health assistance to 3.8 million people in 2024. Following the escalation of air raids in Ukraine in December 2023 and January 2024, the Health Cluster partners, together with the Ministry of Health, continued to track and provide health assistance to civilians affected by the attacks. As of 22 January 2024, some 837 people across Ukraine received emergency or primary health-care assistance, including medicines and supplies. The Health Cluster continues to monitor the situation and implement the Health Cluster Emergency Preparedness Plan to address the ongoing needs. © WHO © WHO EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 9Page KEY FIGURES Key operational numbers Health Facilities reached Interagency convoys conducted Supplies distributed People provided with supplies 112 2 35.7 MT 30 812 129 2 40.7 MT 53 034 Week 2 and 3 Week 2 and 3 Week 2 and 3 Week 2 and 3 Overall Overall Overall Overall EMERGENCY SITUATION REPORT WHO COUNTRY OFFICE IN UKRAINE Issue No. 67 10Page Contact us Visit website Email us WHO Representative Incident Manager Health Emergencies Lead Document number: WHO/EURO:2024-5319-45083-72985 © World Health Organization 2024. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license