18 pharmacies ceased their activity on the territory of temporary occupied Kherson oblast from February 24, the beginning of Russia`s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, until July 13. 56 pharmacies temporary stopped the wholesale and retail trade of drugs.
The Center for Journalist Investigations was informed about it by the press service of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine with reference to the data of the State Drugs Service.
«Thus, the number of pharmacies through which drugs are distributed to the population sharply decreased. Currently, the majority of pharmacies in the Kherson oblast are closed, the supply of drugs to them is not carried out, and their employees were evacuated,» the press service of the Ministry of Healthcare noted.
The Ministry emphasized that the supply of drugs to the temporary occupied territories of the region and to the combat zone is currently impossible. According to the Convention about Protection of the Civilian Population during the War, the aggressor state is obliged to provide the necessary healthcare assistance to the population.
Therefore, hleathcare institutions must work and provide the necessary services to patients, pharmacies must work so that the civilian population has uninterrupted access to all the necessary drugs and medical products on territories occupied by Russia. Residents of Kherson oblast faced the lack of free access to vital drugs from the first days of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Russia, as an occupying country, is obliged to provide healthcare services for the population of the territory under its control. Russian occupants, on the contrary, did everything to ensure that people had critical shortages in literally everything – from drugs to food. The goal is clear: to make the population disloyal to the occupants dependent upon their will.
Detailed description of the situation can be found in the CJI’s investigation “Kherson region under occupation: drug shortage and permanent threat to life”.
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