As part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, Belgium will send medical resources worth €3.4 million to Ukraine, the office of Public Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said on Tuesday. The supplies will include medicine, surgical equipment and PPE.
"This war is hitting the Ukrainian population very hard," said Vandenbroucke. "We are trying to help as much as possible where we can."
The delivery will be coordinated by the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). Anaesthetics, muscle relaxants and painkillers are among the medicines being sent. The delivery will also include 400,000 pairs of surgical gloves, almost 600,000 respiratory assistance devices and 10 million syringes and needles.
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Belgium has also put an initial capacity of 150 hospital beds at the disposal of the Commission. A total of 30 beds have been allocated for intensive care units (half for burn victims), and 120 for inpatient care.
"These beds are not only intended for war victims, but can also accommodate patients whose treatment has been interrupted by the war (kidney dialysis, cancer treatment, etc.)," the Ministry of Public Health.