Peritas AI. Enabling surgical environments to Perceive. Orchestrate. Act. Powered by NVIDIA WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Peritas AI Inc. today unveiled a new agentic surgical platform designed to bring real-time perception, coordination and execution into...
Two third of Medicare beneficiaries have a major cardiovascular risk factor. Beacon Health and Empirical Health have partnered to scale preventive heart health through Medicare's new ACCESS program. NEW YORK, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Beacon Health and Empirical Health today...
Demeetra AgBio, Inc. (hereafter "Demeetra") today announced that the renewal of the research license agreement for the piggyBac® transposase technology, a widely used platform for genetic engineering in research applications, by Eisai Co., Ltd. (hereafter "Eisai") has taken place....
A next-generation drink spike test developed by Ardent Bio demonstrates 99% accuracy and specificity in detecting common date-rape drugs. GHB, a drug that has been a challenge to adequately detect using older first generation dye-based tests, has been detected even in very low...
Tinnigone® highlights growing interest in antioxidants and cellular health in discussions about auditory wellness and tinnitus awareness WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tinnigone® reports growing awareness of hearing health as millions of individuals...
The practice will have added 41 physicians across key subspecialties, increasing its provider count by 20% to 214 physicians across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rothman Orthopaedics, a global leader in musculoskeletal care,...
Seventeen specialty pharmacies recognized for their exceptional customer service YARDLEY, Pa., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Managed Markets Insight & Technology (MMIT), the pharmaceutical industry's trusted go-to-market partner for overcoming barriers to patient access, has...
Veteran healthcare technology and supply chain executive to lead product strategy, partnerships and long-term platform roadmap CLEARWATER, Fla., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Green Security, a leading SaaS provider of vendor credentialing and access compliance software for...
Plated Foodservice, has launched a technology-driven foodservice solution designed to address labor shortages and rising costs in healthcare facilities like skilled nursing and behavioral health centers. Backed by Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI), the company utilizes a...
Resources Available to Regional Governments & Community Based Organizations to Help Residents With Emergency Information LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- City & County Governments, Regional Community Based Organizations, and other public-facing entities are being offered...
IRBsearch has launched Investigative Insights, a new intelligence capability that transforms comprehensive investigative reports into prioritized, actionable analysis by detecting high-risk patterns, identifying associate links, and highlighting critical contact and asset data for...
Haverhill's Laura Lynn Morrissey Brings Passion for Supporting Older Adults & Their Families HAVERHILL, Mass., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Benchmark at Haverhill Crossings, an Assisted Living and Mind & Memory Care community, today announced that Haverhill resident Laura Lynn...
Omios Biologics is proud to announce a research agreement with City of Hope, one of the nation's premier NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers. OAKLAND, Calif., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Omios Biologics, a biotechnology company revolutionizing cancer treatment through...
Collaboration spans implementation pilots, evidence generation, and nationwide distribution of customized navigation tools for lung and breast cancer SAN FRANCISCO, March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Manta Cares, an award-winning digital health company transforming the cancer...
Compunnel Healthcare achieved Health Care Staffing Services Certification from The Joint Commission following an independent evaluation of its governance, quality oversight, and healthcare workforce practices. WOBURN, Mass., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Compunnel Healthcare...
In-Pulse CPR expands American Heart Association (AHA) class frequency at Westshore, USF, and New Tampa sites to provide same day or next-day BLS / CPR eCards for local medical professionals. TAMPA, Fla., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In-Pulse CPR, a premier American Heart...
TenMed Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine is pleased to announce the relocation of its Sandy Springs clinic to a larger, state of the art facility in Chamblee. The new location will continue to provide advanced wound care treatment while introducing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a new...
SUNMI's advanced Android payments platform, powered by Qualcomm Technologies' AI chipsets and Wink's best-in-class multi-modal biometrics, brings face, palm, and voice authentication to merchants worldwide without disrupting existing payment rails. PLANO, Texas, March 17, 2026...
A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that Elevance Health and Blue Cross of California discriminated against longtime employee Priscilla Kamoi, a registered nurse who worked for the company for 17 years. The complaint claims the company failed to provide reasonable...
Live broadcast includes viewer questions and voting; free investor session registration now open BEDFORD, Mass., March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- rHEALTH, a health technology company developing a space-validated blood diagnostics platform designed to deliver rapid results at the point...
More than ten days into the latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East, health systems across the Region are coming under strain as injuries and displacement rise, attacks on health care continue, and public health risks increase.
National health authorities in Iran report more than 1300 deaths and 9000 injuries, and in Lebanon report at least 570 deaths and more than 1400 injuries. In Israel, authorities report 15 deaths and 2142 injuries.
At the same time, the conflict is affecting the very services meant to save lives. In Iran, WHO has verified 18 attacks on health care since 28 February, resulting in 8 deaths among health workers. Over the same period in Lebanon, 25 attacks on health care have resulted in 16 deaths and 29 injuries. These attacks not only cost lives but deprive communities of care when they need it most. Health workers, patients and health facilities must always be protected under international humanitarian law.
Beyond the immediate impact, the conflict is creating wider public health risks. Current estimates indicate more than 100 000 people in Iran have relocated to other areas of the country due to insecurity, and up to 700 000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, with many in crowded collective shelters under deteriorating public health conditions, with limited access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. These conditions increase the risk of respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, and other communicable illnesses, especially for the most vulnerable populations, such as women and children.
Environmental hazards are also a raising concern. In Iran, petroleum fires and smoke from damaged infrastructure exposed nearby communities to toxic pollutants that potentially cause breathing problems, eye and skin irritation, and contaminated water and food sources.
Access to health services is becoming increasingly constrained across several countries. In Lebanon, 49 primary health care centres and five hospitals have shut following evacuation orders issued by Israel’s military, reducing the availability of essential services as medical needs rise.
In the occupied Palestinian territory, increased movement restrictions and checkpoint closures are delaying ambulance and mobile clinics’ access across several governorates in the West Bank. In Gaza, medical evacuations remain suspended since 28 February, while hospitals continue to operate under strain amid ongoing shortages of medicines, medical supplies and fuel, which is being rationed to prioritize essential health services such as emergency and trauma care, maternal and neonatal services, and management of communicable diseases.
Temporary airspace restrictions have disrupted the movement of medical supplies from WHO’s global logistics hub in Dubai. More than 50 emergency supply requests, intended to benefit over 1.5 million people across 25 countries, are affected, resulting in significant backlogs. Current priority shipments include supplies planned for Al Arish, Egypt, to support the Gaza response, as well as Lebanon and Afghanistan. The first shipment, containing cholera response supplies for Mozambique, is expected to depart from the hub in the coming week.
The escalation comes at a time when humanitarian needs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region were already among the highest in the world. Across the Region, 115 million people require humanitarian assistance – almost half of all people in need globally – while humanitarian health emergency appeals remain 70% underfunded.
Without protection for health care, sustained humanitarian access and stronger financial and operational support for the humanitarian health response, the strain on vulnerable populations and already fragile health systems will continue to grow.
WHO calls on all parties to protect civilians and health care, ensure unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access, and pursue de-escalation of the conflict so communities can begin to recover and move towards peace.
As Ukraine enters the fifth year of full-scale war, its people have endured the highest number of attacks on their health care in 2025 – increasing by nearly 20% compared to 2024.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war on 24 February 2022, WHO has documented at least 2881 attacks on health care in Ukraine, affecting health workers, facilities, ambulances, and medical warehouses.
Health services are under intense pressure in two fronts: direct attacks on health care, and the cascading effects of strikes on civilian infrastructure, including thermal power plants that underpin the country's power grid. These have left deep gaps in people’s health. According to a WHO assessment conducted in December 2025, 59% of people in frontline areas reported their health as poor or very poor, compared to 47% in non-frontline areas.
"After four years of war, health needs are increasing, but many people are unable to get the care they need, in part because hospitals and clinics are routinely attacked," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "WHO is working alongside Ukraine's dedicated health workers to keep hospitals supplied with the means to stay warm, and the medicines people rely on the most. Ultimately, the best medicine is peace.”
In 2025, WHO’s support reached 1.9 million people across Ukraine through service delivery, medical supplies, referrals and capacity-building, with a strong focus on frontline and hard-to-reach locations.
"Four years of war has created a serious health crisis in Ukraine," said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. "Mental health needs are staggering: 72% of people surveyed experienced anxiety or depression in the past year, yet only one in five sought help. Cardiovascular disease is surging, with one in four Ukrainians experiencing dangerously high blood pressure. And 8 out of 10 people report they can’t access the medicines they need. This is not abstract – it's a heart patient who can't find blood pressure medication, an amputee waiting months for a prosthetic, a teenager too afraid to leave the house. Ukraine's health system needs our sustained support.”
In a year marked by hope for peace talks, the reality on the ground told a different story. Attacks on health care intensified, reaching a peak in the third quarter of 2025, when 184 attacks claimed the lives of 12 people and injured 110 health workers and patients.
At the same time, attacks on medical warehouses tripled in 2025 compared with the previous year, disrupting logistics and supply chains that are critical to delivering care across the country. Over the past four years, 233 health workers and patients have been killed and 930 injured in attacks on health care. Such attacks constitute violations of international humanitarian law.
This winter has been the harshest since the war began, with multiple strikes on energy infrastructure leaving millions without heating, electricity, and water. Many of Ukraine's combined heat and power plants have been damaged or destroyed. In Kyiv alone, a January 2026 attack left nearly 6000 buildings without heat in subzero conditions, prompting an estimated 600 000 residents to flee the capital.
"What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a devastating cycle. A heating station is struck and thousands of homes lose heat within hours. At – 20°C, water in the pipes freezes, bursts them, floods buildings with ice. Repairs are made, then the next attack starts it all over again. Behind every one of these system breakdowns are families, elderly residents, and health-care workers who must keep saving lives while their own homes are without heat, water, or electricity. The burnout after four years of war is immense – and the demand for health care has never been higher," said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative to Ukraine.
The impact does not end at the hospital door. New mothers discharged after giving birth, patients recovering from injuries or heart attacks, and those awaiting or recovering from critical cancer surgeries return home to apartments without heating, electricity, or running water. Care that begins in a functioning hospital is undermined when patients recover in freezing, dark homes, turning medical progress into a daily struggle for survival.
The rise in war-related trauma injuries has driven a growing demand for surgery, blood products, infection prevention and control, prevention of antimicrobial resistance, mental health services, and rehabilitation.
Access to rehabilitation remains severely limited. Only 4% of hospitals providing inpatient rehabilitation and only 3% of facilities offering assistive technologies such as prosthetics and corrective devices.
Access to medicines is among the most persistent barriers to health in Ukraine, with 4 out of 5 people reporting difficulties, primarily due to high prices (71%). In frontline regions, closed pharmacies, security risks, and financial constraints make the situation even more acute.
In 2025, WHO worked to reach communities through multiple mechanisms, by prioritizing the most vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas. The work spanned the full continuum of health:
To help maintain essential health services, WHO has provided 284 generators to health facilities across 23 oblasts in Ukraine. For 2026, WHO is appealing to raise US$ 42 million in funding to sustain its work in Ukraine and to protect access to care for 700 000 people.