Attack leads to temporary suspension of medical activities – Sydney, 6 April 2024 – The international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) strongly condemns the missile attack on its office in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on 5 April at approximately 3:15 am. The building was destroyed completely and five people were injured, including MSF’s security staff. As a result, MSF has suspended its medical humanitarian activities in the Donetsk region temporarily, except supporting emergency care and ambulance referral services.
“This act of violence against a humanitarian organisation cannot be brushed off as just another casualty of war,” says Vincenzo Porpiglia, emergency coordinator for MSF in Ukraine. “Attacks on any facility where humanitarian staff work not only jeopardize the safety of our staff but also hinder the provision of lifesaving care to those in need.”
MSF’s security staff, Eduard Marchenko, who was inside the office when the attack occurred, was injured. “I was in the living room when the blast lifted me up and threw me like a wave to the ground.” Marchenko was diagnosed with a contusion and a skull injury. He was treated and is recovering. Four people who were near the building at the time of the attack sustained injuries, including a 14-year-old boy. They received medical aid and did not need hospitalisation.
MSF has been providing medical care in the Donetsk region since 2015. As the war escalated, our projects expanded, and we extended our assistance to areas near the frontlines. We have been providing medical and psychological care through our mobile clinics which serve over 100 settlements where access to medical facilities is hampered by the continuing hostilities and a shortage of healthcare professionals. The Ministry of Health relies on MSF to carry out medical evacuations, running 15 ambulances in the Donetsk and other regions when there are mass casualties after bombings.
Our office in Pokrovsk was also our pharmacy and logistical centre for equipment and cars. This followed two attacks in November 2023 on MSF-supported hospitals in Kherson and Selydove that resulted in deaths and injuries.
MSF remains committed to providing vital medical assistance in multiple areas of Ukraine, including the Kherson, Cherkasy, and Vinnynsia regions, but we must ensure that our operations can be carried out safely and effectively.
MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au
