More than £2 million worth of lifesaving medical equipment,
including ventilators, pumps and monitors, has been donated to
Ukraine by the UK Government.
To support hospitals in Ukraine the donation package will support
up to 60 intensive care beds. It includes a variety of
ventilators, oxygen concentrators, suction pumps, patent
monitors, volumetric pumps, and heated humidifiers.
These items are urgently needed by healthcare facilities in
Ukraine for the immediate use in treating people.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins,
said:
“The UK's support for our friends in Ukraine is unwavering and we
want to help in every way we can. This donation will support
their hospitals and builds on previous deliveries of medicines
and equipment to save lives.
“We will continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of
Health and other partners to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the
people who need it most, as quickly as possible.”
The donation followed a request for help from the Ukrainian
Minister of Health. The Health and Social Care Secretary also
recently met with Ukraine's First Lady, to whom she reiterated
the UK Government's ongoing support.
Ukraine's First Lady thanked the UK for its assistance in the
medical sector and for the donation of medical supplies and
they also discussed further medical co-operation in the future.
In September last year, the UK signed a statement on
international health partnerships. This recognised the
importance of international co-operation and recommended building
and encouraging global partnerships between government and expert
bodies.
29 partnerships have been established between 21 Ukrainian and 26
foreign healthcare institutions from 15 countries. These enable
partners to share experience, training, operational knowledge and
research.
During her visit, the Department of Health and Social Care
minister Lord Markham joined the First Lady at a roundtable
discussion on mental health.
Loading of the equipment took place on Tuesday 5 March, and the
equipment has now been received by Ukraine. This in addition
to previous donations of
over 11 million items of medical equipment and medicines.
The Covid Strategic ICU Reserve, which are Covid stockpiles, has
also previously supported aid packages to Nepal, Peru, Gaza, and
British Overseas Territories, and issued over 80,000 pieces of
equipment into the NHS since 2020.
This donation is part of the UK's commitment to provide medical
supplies and basic necessities on the ground, saving lives and
protecting vulnerable people following Russia's illegal invasion
of Ukraine. The United Nations estimates that almost 18
million people in Ukraine need humanitarian support.
This donation is in addition to the £357 million of humanitarian
aid the UK has committed since the start of the full-scale
invasion. UK support contributes to an international response
that reached 11 million people in Ukraine in 2023 and 15.8
million in 2022.
