MINSK, 26 November (BelTA) – The WHO has delivered humanitarian aid to refugees as soon as possible, Vyacheslav Grankov, coordinator of the WHO infectious diseases programs at the WHO Country Office in Belarus, told the media in Minsk on 26 November, BelTA has learned.
"The delivery was very fast. I have been working for more than six years at the World Health Organization, and this is the fastest delivery during my tenure. The assistance was provided in line with the agreements reached during the visit of WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge and the WHO mission to Belarus to assess the situation on the border of Belarus and the EU. Taking into account the complexity and emergency of the situation, the delivery was made in a very short time," said Vyacheslav Grankov.
He noted that the country received standard kits for emergency medical care. They are developed by several agencies but under the auspices of WHO and include kits of medicines, consumables and some equipment for emergency assistance. The humanitarian aid also included kits to help with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and arterial hypertension, and also anticonvulsant medications.
According to Vyacheslav Grankov, this is the first part of the assistance that the World Health Organization plans to provide to Belarus. “We have already ordered COVID-19 antigenic rapid tests, which is quite relevant for a large number of people staying in one facility,” the program coordinator said. Two more kits to monitor non-communicable diseases will be delivered in the near future.
“More than one tonne of cargo has arrived in 71 boxes,” Vyacheslav Grankov said.
In his words, the Belarusian healthcare system is able to provide refugees with all necessary medical care, including in-patient care. The kits that arrived as part of the humanitarian aid are designed for assistance on site, the program coordinator added. During the work of the WHO mission it was also agreed that a first aid station will be set up at the logistics center.
