By KYIV. Dec 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – No fatalities were recorded at Ukrainian hospitals due to shutdowns of medical equipment as a result of power outages, Health Minister of Ukraine Viktor Liashko has said.
"Not a single case of death was recorded at Ukrainian hospitals since October 12 as a result of power outages, when a person could be disconnected from life support systems," he said on air of the 1+1 television channel on Friday.
However, commenting on the provision of generators for hospitals, Liashko said "there are a number of factors that could impact the work of equipment."
"The energy saving systems at all hospitals are organized in a way to have a safety net […], however with diesel generators, their limited number and a huge need for them all over the country, it is rather hard to ensure that there is spare capacity everywhere," the minister said.
Liashko also said that currently "all in-patient units are equipped with generators that satisfy the medical institutions’ critical need for electricity, the surgery and intensive care departments are 100% provided with power supply."
The minister noted that the government had started preparing the healthcare system for "a difficult winter" as early as in summer.
"We provide hospitals with additional diesel and petrol generators to ensure full operation of all hospital departments. We have imported more than 400 powerful diesel generators with a capacity of 200 watt and higher, 170 of them are being delivered to hospitals," he said.
