About half a million refugees from Ukraine who have fled to Poland need support for mental health disorders, and 30,000 have severe mental health problems, the representative for the World Health Organisation in Poland said on Tuesday.
Refugees arriving in Poland are suffering from a range of health problems, including diarrhea and dehydration, but the main need is for support due to trauma, Paloma Cuchi, WHO representative in Poland, told a briefing in Geneva.
Speaking at the same briefing, UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh said that the number of Ukrainians fleeing abroad is now 3,556,924 with more than 2 million crossing the border into Poland.
“You are looking at almost one quarter of the entire population. The speed and the scale of this outflow and this displacement crisis is unprecedented in recent times.”
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said that 62 attacks on health care have been verified in Ukraine between February 24 and March 18, resulting in 15 deaths and 37 injuries.
