51 people have died as a result of a deadly outbreak of swine flu across Ukraine.
Hospitals in east Ukraine, where 12 people have lost their lives, are saying that they lack the crucial drugs needed to treat patients.
Uatoday.tv reports:
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Elena Baun, senior doctor at Donetsk hospital: “The supply of medication today is enough in general. The only thing we are short of is anti-virus medication – Tamiflu – which is in drug stores today, but, unfortunately, we do not have it in the hospital. That’s why patients have to buy it themselves.”
Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic are doing what they can to stay healthy. They often queue at local pharmacies to buy respiratory masks and medicine. Ukraine’s Health Minister says the situation in occupied eastern regions ismore severe than elsehwere in the country.
Alexander Kvitashvili, Health Minister: “The situation is awful there with medicine and infrastructure. We need to understand that, unfortunately, those good high-tech centres which were built are either not functional or were blown up or robbed.”
Schools in Ukraine have been closed since January 16. Authorities hope such measures will stop the H1N1 virus from spreading.
