Hundreds of people trying to escape the on-going conflict in Ukraine wait for a train to Poland at the central train station in Lviv. Ukraine, February 2022. © Emin Ozmen/Magnum Photos
Doctors Without Borders mobile clinics travels to villages in the Donetsk region. Ukraine, 2019. © Iveta Polochova/MSF
On the logistical side, how are you managing to get equipment and medicines into the country?
We are currently preparing kits of medical equipment and medicines from our logistical bases, notably in Brussels and Bordeaux, which will transit through neighbouring countries before entering Ukraine. We are also purchasing goods and materials in Poland to make up kits for some local associations that have already informed us of a number of essential inputs that they lack.
To receive orders within Ukraine we are setting up storage space in the west of the country. Depending on developments and opportunities, we will try to set up such warehouses in other areas to expand our supply capacity.
How do you assess the needs on the ground?
The combat zones are moving quickly, changing hourly. It is important for us to have a good understanding of the dynamics of the offensive, to assess the needs, but also not to put our teams at risk. We have Doctors Without Borders staff in the capital Kyiv and in several key cities such as Zhytomyr, Severodonetsk, as well as a network of medics in hospitals and health centres in multiple locations who are enabling us to start building a picture of the needs. In particular, we are gathering information about the number of people injured, and how, and the capacity for care on the ground in order to build an appropriate medical response.
Are there forward medical posts? How is the referral of injured people carried out? Is it possible for patients to be transferred from one hospital to another? Which hospital structures could we quickly start activities with, especially surgical ones? These are the main questions we are asking ourselves and to which we are trying to get reliable, clear and detailed answers.
The first shipment of @MSF emergency medical supplies is now going to #Ukraine. This shipment departed from Brussels with 3 trucks and 120m3 of medical kits, including:
— MSF in Southeast Asia (@MSF_seAsia) March 3, 2022
➡️surgical kits
➡️trauma kits
➡️chronic disease medications
➡️mass casualty supplies pic.twitter.com/yypkX92gqD
What support are you providing for refugees in border areas?
We have already donated essential items to a reception centre in Poland and we are working to scale up our response. We are planning to deploy medical support and increase the distribution of blankets and hygiene kits. But we are already seeing a lot of local and international solidarity with the refugees, meaning their needs are well covered for the moment. Our priority is therefore to take care of the injured in Ukraine.
