Ukrainians who need power for lifesaving medical devices suffer due to frequent blackouts

New Delhi: The repeated Russian assaults on Ukraine’s power grid have left many gasping for air at times as the capital city continues to experience long blackouts. Ukrainians who require a constant power supply to keep vital medical devices running suffer similar fear each time the light goes out.

According to a report in CNN, Kyiv officials try to brief residents about when power cuts are coming but every fresh attack on the country’s energy infrastructure triggers unpredictable new emergency shutdowns.

Meanwhile, the Global health watchdog– the World Health Organization — said that 10 million people, or about one-fourth of Ukraine’s population, may suffer from mental health disorders in relation to the ongoing conflict in that country.

“WHO estimates that up to 10 million people are at risk of some form of a mental disorder, varying from anxiety and stress to more severe conditions,” Jarno Habicht, WHO’s representative in Ukraine told a news gathering via video link in Geneva.

Acute mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by distressing events are likely to afflict one in every four Ukrainians going through the war, WHO said. Cases of mental ailments are rising after 10 months of conflict, prompting a separate United Nations agency to launch online support services where needed.

War-torn Ukraine’s healthcare system has been under pressure since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. So far, there have been at least 700 attacks on its healthcare system, WHO data shows, and Russia’s increase in attacks on critical infrastructure such as the power grid since October, has added to the challenges by plunging the country into darkness.

Responding to global criticism, Moscow, has however, denied targeting civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine. But reports and images emerging out of Ukraine have revealed mass graves and torture chambers in cities and regions occupied by Russian troops.

The WHO has said respiratory diseases would increase with the cold weather and insufficient heating as would car accidents caused by unlit streets due to extensive blackouts.

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