Soldiers will get medicines from abroad

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law “On Amending the Law of Ukraine ‘On Medicines’ in Order to Improve Regulations Concerning Providing the Population with Medicines Intended to Treat Serious and Socially Dangerous Diseases.” Under the new law, any medicine which is documented as registered and used in the EU, the US, Japan, Australia, Canada or Switzerland, is cleared for use by the military medical service in the ATO area. In particular, soldiers will get high-quality medicines treating gas gangrene and severe infections, anti-shock drugs, vaccines, antibiotics, and viper venom antidotes.

Ukraine will also simplify registration procedures for medicines dealing with rare, serious, and socially dangerous diseases, if these medicines have been registered with regulatory authorities of the US or EU. The simplified registration will be completed in seven days and require fewer documents.

According to the law’s creators, it will not only simplify the medicine procurement, but also increase competition between producers, resulting in lower prices.

Natalia SHOLUIKO, head of pharmaceutical service at the National Resistance Headquarters:

“The World-War-Two-era military medicine doctrine had clear protocols for every kind of injury. We do not have such rules anymore, and thus soldiers often do not receive the full package of necessary medications.

“All drugs that are needed to treat the wounded are available in Ukraine. It is quality that is dubious, but we have been able to find a way out so far. We have also received some medicines through volunteers’ efforts. However, there were instances where we ordered a drug abroad by its international non-proprietary name, and when they sent here not the drug that Ukraine had registered, but its not yet registered version, the shipment was held up at the border, and people were forced to smuggle medicines into the country.

“Soldiers need anti-shock drugs now. They were produced by the Stirol plant in Horlivka. Since the plant has been damaged, we have to order these medications abroad. We need hemostatics, strong antibiotics, gangrene serum, and antiviral drugs as well.

“We have often seen in this country a new law used to create corruption schemes. From an objective point of view, it is good to have these medicines imported, but no one can guarantee that they will not be resold on the black market.”