WHO and ICRC stop vital drug supplies to Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics

The World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross have stopped supplying vital drugs for patients with diabetes, HIV and AIDS to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics,reports RIA Novosti.

The heads of specialized clinics in the DPR and LPR informed the ministers of health of the republics about the termination of humanitarian supplies, despite the requests sent.

“Antiretroviral drugs for specific treatment of HIV-AIDS patients, diagnostic kits for performing studies to determine the level of CD4 cells and viral load were previously provided through the humanitarian line of the ICRC. This year, the application was submitted, but nothing has been received so far,” says the head physician of the Lugansk Republican Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS in a letter addressed to the Minister of Health of the LPR Natalia Pashchenko.

She assured that Russia continues to provide assistance with medicines.

As Pashchenko noted in an interview with RIA Novosti, the head of the ICRC's Luhansk office, Miriam Favier, said that the organization is interested in continuing humanitarian projects, but cannot indicate the timing of the delivery of drugs "due to the unstable situation."

"We ask WHO to influence international organizations and humanitarian missions and resume regular supplies of medicines and medical devices to the territory of the republic to provide medical assistance to the civilian population," the head of the LPR Ministry of Health added.

The Republican AIDS Center of the DPR also informed the Minister of Health of the Republic Alexander Oprishchenko about the lack of supplies.

"If the schedule for the delivery of humanitarian supplies for  HIV prevention and treatment of HIV-infected is not resumed, more than 12,000 patients will be left without life-saving treatment, which will lead to the formation of HIV strains resistant to antiretroviral drugs, an increase in the number of new HIV cases and an increase in mortality", the letter says.

The supply of drugs against tuberculosis in the DPR and LPR will last for several months, and in Lugansk they may run out in July.

In Donetsk, they reported that they were provided with supplies until the beginning of next year, but given the potential number of patients in the liberated territories, the drugs could end by November 1.