Pharmaceutical production is being launched in the Lugansk People’s Republic; hemodialisis was renewed and insulin issue settled

The Lugansk People’s Republic is going to launch its own pharmaceutical production in the circumstances of economic blockade on the part of Ukraine and closed border with Russia in order to eliminate at least partially the problem of provision of the population with medicines.

As Minister of Health of the LPR Igor Solyanik said on March 11, one state-owned pharmaceutical plant is already functioning in the Republic (earlier it belonged to enterprise “Lugansk Regional Pharmacy”). Many kinds of medicines sold in the pharmacies of Lugansk now have been produced at this plant.

According to the Minister, another chemical and pharmaceutical works will resume functioning in the nearest future, which produces cardiac medicines mainly. The raw materials for the works are being bought in Russia.

— The Ministry of Health of the DPR will purchase the products of this enterprise after it is put into operation, — explained Solyanik. — We will not include the works in our Ministry asset books.

The patients of the LPR will be able to undergo hemodialisis in the hospitals of the Republic. Earlier because of the critical situation they had been evacuated to the territory of Ukraine, but, according to Solyanik, they regularly phone the Ministry and express their wish to return home:

— An extremely important for the Republic event has taken place: everything necessary for the hemodialisis procedure had been delivered to us from Russia. The procedure is under our strictest control, so, troubles with water and medicines supply are out of the question in the hemodialisis department.

The problem with the provision of the patients with insulin is also solved in the LPR. According to the Minister this medicine is also being delivered from Russia, although not without difficulties because of the custom issues caused by the non-recognition of the Republic by Moscow and formally “sealed” border, as humanitarian aid:

— The quantity is determined by the  requirements that are gathered and submitted by the main endocrinologist of the Republic. We have a list of the citizens, who need insulin. On the basis of this information analogues are selected, because Ukrainian medicines differ from the Russian ones. Ukraine does not supply us with any medicines. In fact, Kiev has left the inhabitants of the LPR for the mercy of fate.

Aleksey Toporov, Lugansk