Director of the Public Health Center at the Ministry of Health, Volodymyr Kurpita, says Ukraine has no serums from botulism.
"There is no domestic production of serums from botulism in Ukraine. In general, there are few countries in the world producing them, since it is very difficult to make this medicinal substance with stable quality, therefore it is produced in small batches. In addition, the purchase of serums has never been the task of the Ministry of Health. The department has never purchased this product in the history of independent Ukraine. They were always purchased by local authorities using regional budget funds; as a rule, [they were bought] in Russia. Purchases ceased after the conflict with Russia began," Kurpita said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine media outlet.
Read alsoActing Health Minister Suprun calls for tougher responsibility for refusal of vaccinesAccording to the official, in 2018, the Ministry of Health for the first time allocated part of the funds laid in the state budget for the purchase of medicines for the purchase of serums. Over UAH 40 million is to be spent.
The serum from botulism will arrive in Ukraine only in August-September.
