A significant part of the medicines that Belgium sent to Ukraine in early March would expire barely three weeks after arrival, APA reports citing Belgium Postsen.
Immediately after the Russian-Ukraine war, Belgium offered humanitarian aid. Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) said on 1 March that it involved 3.4 million euros worth of medicines and medical devices.
But the trucks contained 280,000 drugs and 140,000 syringes that became useless three weeks after arrival. This concerns 20 percent of the donated medicines and 10 percent of the aids.
Another tens of thousands of products would expire in two to five months. Belgium thus violated international guidelines. The WHO states that medicines for donation must have a shelf life of at least one year. In the pharmaceutical sector, six months is the minimum. “That’s right,” admits the FPS Public Health. “But it had to go fast.”
Vandenbroucke notes that Ukraine gave pre-approval for the donation. But the country also did so two weeks later with a second donation. At that time, the government did remove all products that would expire within six months from the trucks. It indicates that it was realized that the first donation was mistaken.
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