Belgium offered, from the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the equivalent of 3.4 million euros of medicines and medical supplies.
But 280,000 drugs and 140,000 syringes would have become unusable only three weeks after their arrival, that is to say 20% of the drugs 10% of the supplies. Another 10,000 products were also reportedly sent when they were scheduled to expire in two to five months.
Belgium would therefore not have complied with international guidelines, since the WHO indicates that the medicines donated must have a shelf life of at least one year. “It’s true,” admits the FPS Public Health. ”But we had to go fast.”
The Minister of Public Health, Frank Vandenbroucke, however, stresses that Ukraine has given its prior agreement for this donation.
New products close to expiry were almost given two weeks later, before the government withdrew in extremis all those whose date was less than six months. This suggests that the authorities may have realized that they had made a mistake during the first donation, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.