Ukrainian medical institutions are preparing to operate under the conditions of possible blackouts due to aggressor shelling of critical infrastructure objects, as reported by the First Deputy Minister of Health, Serhiy Dubrov.
"The Ministry of Health is working to ensure that all healthcare facilities have alternative sources of energy. Today, generators are the most common, but substantial efforts are underway to equip medical facilities with solar panels," he stated during a national telethon on Thursday.
Dubrov noted that the Ministry of Health began implementing a strategy to provide healthcare institutions with generators "even before the full-scale invasion." Currently, there are 8,444 generators installed in medical institutions, with an additional 197 generators already delivered to Ukraine and soon to be distributed to medical facilities.
He mentioned that the issue of providing generators with fuel in medical institutions falls under the responsibility of local authorities.
Dubrov also reported that work is ongoing to equip medical facilities with solar panels.
Currently, solar panels are already installed in 32 medical institutions, and solar panels are planned to be installed in more than 200 medical facilities in the near future.
Dubrov emphasized that medical institutions are part of critical infrastructure and are supplied with electricity from various sources.
He stressed that it is currently "difficult to discuss the need for suspending surgical procedures."
"Today, it is very challenging to discuss the need to suspend surgical procedures. Decisions to suspend them will be made depending on the situation that has developed," he said.