Ill children across the contact line have their insulin reserves running out
Insulin-dependent children from non-government-controlled areas of Donbas have their insulin reserves running out. This is due to the difficulties with delivering these essential life-saving medications across the contact line. At the same time 50% of residents from non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are badly in need of medications. This was announced during the briefing at “Ukrainski Novyny” information agency by Rimma Fil, the Coordinator of Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center.
Many calls keep on coming on Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center’s hotline, Donbas civilians and internally displaced persons are asking for targeted medical assistance for urgent treatment, surgeries, and purchasing medications that are deficient in Donbas now.
“The Humanitarian Center’s “Targeted Assistance” is in great demand among civilian population, as due to the blockade, which is currently taking place in non-government-controlled areas, in Donetsk and other towns, there is a great shortage of necessary medications. There is no insulin at all. There are no other essential medications. And people are calling the Humanitarian Center, as they understand that we can help” – Rimma Fil tells.
Due to the difficulties with crossing checkpoints on the contact line, Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center is having problems with delivery of medications for Donbas civilians, particularly insulin. “As you know, the transportation of insulin requires a certain temperature mode. Now we are distributing the residues of insulin reserves to children in Donetsk, and we don’t know when the next batch is coming. In has become really difficult for us to deliver medications to ATO area – no required documents and permits, no distinct procedure for delivering humanitarian aid in terms of medical products, ‒ Rimma Fil stated. – And they are extremely required by 50% of civilians there. This is proved by the results of sociologists’ research and the information from the updated Humanitarian Map, which we presented a week ago. During the presentation we addressed the representatives of Ukrainian President and we were assured that providing medications for children and other most vulnerable categories of our society is a very important goal. This is the goal not only for humanitarian missions, but the state as well”, – Rimma Fil emphasized.
Following the results of June 2015, Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center provided targeted assistance with medical treatment for 444 Donbas residents, 291 of them are severely ill children. Among those, who were provided with assistance, there are: retired people, who received heart disease drugs, severely injured civilians of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, both children and adults that suffered due to the military actions, insulin-dependent children and other.
“We are receiving a great number of requests for assistance, when it comes to life and death. Here is just one example. Last year a 34-year-old man from Luhansk region was spending time with his brother and wife in the garden. A shell hit there, the brother was torn to pieces and the young man was severely wounded, which resulted in amputation of his feet. After the long course of rehabilitation the man needs a wheelchair. Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center helped him to purchase one. Why am I providing this horrifying example? To show that the war is not heroism and not an abstract picture, which is currently taking place 700 kilometers away. People are dying, houses are burning, and we, as a civilized society, need to do everything to stop this war as soon as possible, – Rimma Fil stated.
During the whole period of the Humanitarian Center’s operation the targeted assistance was provided to 4,913 Donbas civilians, including 476 severely ill and wounded children.
