'We just need to continue': Power outages after Russian attacks hampering health workers in Ukraine

"It was bombing outside. We heard the noises and all our windows were broken but we cannot stop the process. We just need to continue," said Dr Yevheniia Poliakova.

It was "impossible to count" the power outages at the maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhya in southeastern Ukraine where she works following Russian attacks, she added. 

Regardless of the challenging conditions, she and her staff must carry on helping women through their labours.

"It happens every day. It's very frightening. And it's I think it's our basic instinct to stop but you should force yourself to continue the process, to calm the women and just to do what you can do," Poliakova told Euronews Health.

The impact of systematic Russian bombardments on health outcomes in Ukraine is the subject of a new report from US-based NGO Physicians for Human Rights and the Ukrainian association Truth Hounds which specialises in investigating human rights violations.

During their assessment, researchers surveyed over 2,200 healthcare workers in Ukraine and more than nine out of 10 reported having experienced a power outage due to an attack. 

"Over a quarter of them reported that they happened on a daily basis," Uliana Poltavets Ukraine emergency response coordinator at the Physicians for Humans Rights, told Euronews Health. 

"Interrupted or delayed surgeries, healthcare workers forced to operate in darkness, illuminated by the flashlight, headlamps and failures in life support systems," are some of the examples given by Poltavets on how outages have disrupted healthcare provision.

The report found that bombings and attacks led to short and long-term health harms and "these harms may be considered violations of international law". 

Impact on patient care

According to the report’s numbers, 36 permanent health harms and 20 deaths were recorded. 

Though it’s "not a high number, it’s 20 reports of deaths too many. So each one of them would need to be investigated," Poltavets said.

Under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention, healthcare facilities are protected from attacks, including ones interfering with their operations.

Overall, more than 1,500 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system have been documented since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022, according to the latest data.

Health facilities have been direct targets from early on in the conflict, for example, a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol was bombed in March 2022, killing three people and leaving 17 injured.

“There are also reasonable grounds to believe that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure might qualify as disproportionate,” Poltavets said.

“These attacks result in harm to healthcare and as such will likely breach the principle of precaution, which is a fundamental principle of international law,” she added echoing the report’s conclusions.

A toll on health workers

Over eight health workers out of 10 reported increased stress, and burnout. A doctor also recounted in the NGOs’ report witnessing the death of a colleague after a strike on Okhmatdyt Hospital in Kyiv, on June 8, 2024. 

The report also stated that one worker out of five reported having experienced "direct attacks on their healthcare facility".

"Electricity is the lifeblood of the health sector, powering lifesaving devices and enabling basic medical services," the report reads, with both Poltavets and Poliakova agreeing that generators and backup power sources were the most needed resources.

Though healthcare workers have access to backup power, four out of 10 said they had experienced delays ranging from one hour to several days.