WHO ready to send medical supplies to Ukrainian cities: Spokesperson

In Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, recently-arrived medical supplies from the World Health Organisation (WHO) are ready to be distributed, said a WHO spokesperson on Thursday.

Tarik Jasarevic, the spokesman, said in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the medical supplies brought by the WHO were transported from warehouses in other countries.

“We are bringing medical supplies from our main warehouses, one of them is in Dubai, through Poland, so far. In just last week we have brought more than 70 metric tonnes of medical supplies, mainly surgical kits that are needed to treat the wounded people and to perform surgery. There are also some medicines for chronic diseases for people who may need them or may have left their medicines at home, and they had to leave their home,” said Jasarevic.

In speaking of the method to deliver all these supplies, Jasarevic said the WHO will cooperate with the local health authorities.

“We are working closely with the health authorities, with the ministry of health at the national level, at the regional level, so they are providing us with their needs, as they hear from the health facilities. So we plan together, looking where we can send supplies and how we can send them, and how can those supplies be sent through regional centers, to other hospitals in the smaller areas, so we cannot do it on our own for sure, we need to work with the health authorities,” he said.

Jasarevic also talked about the WHO’s major concern regarding the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

“The major concern is the survival of the health system in many areas that are close to those areas that are being bombed, close to areas where there is combat. And this is why it is really a priority, there is a ceasefire, maybe not peace, peace will come later, but there is cessation or facilities so people can get the healthcare they need,” he said.

The spreading of COVID-19 epidemic amid the Ukraine conflict is another concern for the WHO, Jasarevic said.

“COVID-19 may not be the priority, but we should not forget COVID-19. Ukraine had a relatively low level of vaccination, only 40% of the population have been fully vaccinated. We are bringing more oxygen in the coming days. I hope we will be able to distribute, but oxygen is not important only for COVID-19, but it’s also important for a number of other procedures, surgical procedures,” he said.