Doctors Without Borders, fellow member of De Plantage, provides an update on the situation in Ukraine
The needs in Ukraine are enormous. Hospitals and pharmacies are running out of supplies. It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide the right aid to the many injured. Last weekend, our teams sent 120 cubic meters of emergency relief supplies to Ukraine. Getting more people and medicines into the affected areas is our top priority. “We have emergency supplies ready from our warehouses in Amsterdam, Brussels and Bordeaux that we can have ready within 72 hours,” says Steffie, our purchasing team leader. However, reaching people in Ukraine remains a challenge. Here’s what we run into:
There are no flights and hardly any truck drivers
Transporting emergency goods by plane is currently not possible. “The airports are no longer in use,” Steffie says. “Then that leaves road transport. There are many drivers who no longer want to cross Poland’s border with Ukraine. They are not sure what to expect or whether they can go back.” Last weekend our teams managed to transport tons of medical equipment on one of the last trains from Lviv to Kiev. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health has distributed emergency aid packages to hospitals in the area. “The second shipment is now ready in Poland,” says Steffie. “We have also donated first aid kits to hospitals in hard-fought Mariupol.”
Medical needs are diverse
Not only the many injured in Ukraine need help: there are all kinds of medical needs. For example, it is very important that women can give birth safely and that people with diabetes receive insulin. Complications lurk when these people do not have access to medical care. Our teams work around the clock to keep healthcare going and to continue supplying hospitals with a variety of supplies. “We try to deliver very diverse packages containing medical care for a thousand people for a month,” explains Steffie. ‘Think of paracetamol and insulin, but also plasters and sterilized surgical clothing.’
Help is not only needed in Ukraine
Currently, our teams provide medical assistance on the front lines and in places that many displaced people pass through. We continue to map out the greatest needs and adjust our activities accordingly. We also provide training to medical personnel in dealing with the large numbers of injured. Our teams work day and night to continue to provide people in Ukraine and people on the run with the right help. We provide independent medical care on both sides of the front line. We are currently working in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Slovenia. Thanks to our donors, we can continue this help. Medical, human and critical.
Help people in need
Donations make a big difference for people in conflict situations like in Ukraine. The consequences of war and conflict on people are enormous. Not only medically but also mentally.
Help and donate; Doctors Without Borders, Plantage Middenlaan 14
Photo; Remi Decoster