(NewsNation) — Members of Congress penned a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin imploring them to facilitate U.S.-run field hospitals for injured Ukrainians in Eastern Poland as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to batter the nation.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin has tabbed as a “liberation” began on Feb. 24, 2,435 people have been killed and 2,946 have been injured, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Local estimates of death tolls are much higher, including in the shattered city of Mariupol where local authorities claim Russia has dumped up to 9,000 dead bodies into mass graves.
The push for field hospitals is tied to the belief that many of these deaths could have been prevented with proper medical care.
“We estimate that at least 3,000 civilians have died because they couldn’t get medical care and because of the stress on their health amid the hostilities, said Ravina Shamdasani a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office. “This includes being forced by Russian armed forces to stay in basements or not being allowed to leave their homes for days or weeks.”
A bipartisan group of 17 House lawmakers signed the letter to Blinken and Austin which stated the healthcare system in Ukraine was “on the verge of failure” and action was needed to save lives.
The letter also accused Russia of “indiscriminate targeting of hospitals” putting the number of hospitals destroyed in Ukraine at 119.
“You have a unique opportunity to showcase American leadership by providing critical medical support to Ukrainians that will inspire other NATO states to follow suit,” the letter read.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said if there was something the U.S. could do it would “absolutely” do it in “lock-step” with the Polish government.
Legislators laid three recommendations for how to best aid Ukraine in a medical capacity. They said first is supplying the country with armored ambulances, plus setting up field hospitals in Poland, and finally scaling up a Germany medical center to handle more patients with more severe issues.