Mobile hospitals, epidemic recon: Deputy Health Minister tells of medics operating in liberated areas

Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin spoke of this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"Most often we are faced with the fact that health care facilities are destroyed and a large amount of equipment and medical products are destroyed by the occupiers during our liberation of territory. Therefore, the main task of the ministry is quick recovery in de-occupied territories," Kuzin said.

He noted that the Ministry of Health does not have access to the occupied territories, and neither does it receives information about the levels of morbidity or risks that exist there. According to him, the only thing the ministry can see is the condition of territory once it has been liberated.

The chief state sanitary doctor assured that the work of the Ministry of Health after de-occupation is always fast, but phased in order to restore stable provision of medical assistance to the population as much as possible.

Kuzin said that the work begins with the deployment of the disaster medicine brigade, assessment of  health care facilities that survived and the availability of medical personnel and medications.

After the medical team assessed the situation on the ground, the situation of the population, and the state of the health care infrastructure, a decision is made on the optimal scheme of assistance.

"It can be a mobile hospital, forwarding patients to the nearest health care facilities and, accordingly, deploying more personnel or delivering supplies," said the Deputy Minister of Health.

He said that the next step is the work of epidemiologists who run epidemic reconnaissance of territory. Air, drinking water, soil, and livestock burial grounds are examined, after which decisions are made to prevent disease outbreaks.

"It can be disinfection of wells, extermination of rats, and other efforts," Kuzin commented.

The chief state sanitary doctor noted that based on the outcome of that preliminary work, the Ministry of Health together with the local authorities can state that the territory is completely safe.

He also added that one should not forget about mine safety and that demining takes significant amounts of time.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as of early November, 421 health care facilities that had been destroyed as a result of the Russian war were completely restored in Ukraine, and another 413 were rebuilt partially.