Almost half of ATO area residents lack medicines – poll

45% of residents of the conflict zone in Donbas and the so-called “grey zone” lack medicines while 30% of them lack products.

This is evidenced by the results of the research “Research on the needs for humanitarian aid in Donetsk and Luhansk regions”, conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), UNIAN news agency reports.

As director of the KIIS Natalia Kharchenko noted, the study was ordered by the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre. The poll was conducted in 30 towns of Donbas.

“The situation with medicines is the most problematic: 45% of respondents say that they lack medicines. 30% of respondents say there is the shortage of food and a relatively better situation with household goods and hygiene items. The cordial agents remain the most popular among the medicines, as well as antihypertensive drugs and sedatives. The acutest shortage of medicines is experienced by residents of such towns as Rovenki (70%), Krasnodon (62%) and Stanytsia Luhanska (60%),” Kharchenko said.

“53% of respondents indicate that their town or their families do not have enough food, medicine, and hygiene items. This figure is significantly lower than it was in September – 58%. At the same time, in comparison with September 2015, the deficit of medicines fell by 5% and the need for household goods decreased by 4%. The most problematic towns as of November-December are Rovenki, Stanytsia Luhanska, Alchevsk, and Krasnodon: their residents expressed the high demand for several product categories,” Kharchenko added.

According to her, it was managed to reduce the shortage of cereals, canned foods, flour, and pasta.