Watchdog: Ukraine’s Border Guard Service lacks basic medical gear, equipment

Three large hospital centers aligned to the State Border Service of Ukraine located in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa suffer a dire shortage in very basic medical gear for their staff, as well as the equipment necessary for treating critical COVID-19 patients, according to StateWatch, a Kyiv-based anti-graft watchdog.

The hospitals that would be expected to handle Border Guard service members sick with coronavirus, “as of this week, are equipped with bio-protection suits by 1-3 percent,” the organization said in its press release on April 10.

“Also, border guards have problems with the deficit of respirators, isolating robes, protective face screens, and other kinds of personal protective gear for medical personnel,” the watchdog also said.

The Kyiv hospital has only 80 respirators, which constitutes only 3 percent of overall demand, and 60 isolating robes, which is only 7 percent of an amount necessary. However, it fully meets its needs for gloves and face screens.

At the same time, the Lviv hospital has only 11 percent of a necessary number of respirators, and only 4 percent of protective face screens, and not a single isolating robe. But it has a whole lot of shoe covers and 98 percent of a number of medical aprons.

The Odesa hospital has only 31 percent of a necessary number of respirators, 27 percent of robes, and no face screens.

Regarding the availability of lung ventilators, the situation appears to be slightly less dire, although none of the hospitals has enough of them: Only 30 percent of demand is available in Kyiv, 67 percent in Lviv, and 50 percent in Odesa.

“Upon that, the Ministry of Defense declined to reveal figures on a true level of supply of Armed Forces hospitals,” the watchdog also said.

“The ministry only noted that the number of infection care beds was increased for providing military servicepersons with medical care, and that a stock of medical gear, drugs, personal protection gear, and other equipment was created, providing no further details.”

Ukraine’s National Guard, part of the Interior Ministry, did not provide StateWatch with any information on medical supplies at their hospitals, the watchdog also noted.