Geneva: UN agencies have expressed condemnation following a deadly strike on Mrauk-U Hospital in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk have voiced their shock at the attack, which resulted in severe damage to the hospital's infrastructure. Operating rooms and the main inpatient ward were completely destroyed, as Ghebreyesus reported on his X account.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Mrauk-U People's Hospital serves as the primary health care center in the region, providing essential health and emergency services, including obstetric care and surgical facilities. Ghebreyesus highlighted the impact of the attack, noting it will disrupt access to health care for entire communities. The WHO chief reported this incident as the 67th attack on health facilities verified by the organization, emphasizing that every attack on health care is an attack on humanity. He urged that health facilities, patients, and health workers must be protected at all times, calling for an end to such attacks.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also condemned the strike, warning of the potential for renewed waves of acute violence ahead of military-imposed "elections." He stressed that such attacks could amount to war crimes and called for investigations and accountability, urging an immediate cessation of hostilities. The attack reportedly resulted in at least 33 deaths and 20 injuries, affecting health workers, patients, and their family members.