Ukrainian Health Ministry representative promises to prevent ‘prostitutes and gays’ from donating blood

Viktor Yaroshevsky, the head of transplantation and blood service of the medical aid department of the Health Ministry of Ukraine, has stated that he will prevent “prostitutes and gays” from donating blood.

He said this during the official meeting of the healthcare committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the statement of the Public Health Alliance reads.

According to the meeting participants, this was the official’s response to the proposal to amend the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 385/2005 approving the procedure for medical examination of blood donors.

However, according to the government-approved National Human Rights Strategy until 2020, the Health Ministry should cancel the norm stipulating that people characterized by risk behavior (sexual services for a fee, sexual relations with unfamiliar individuals without a condom, frequent change of sexual partners, homosexuality, drug addiction) cannot donate blood.

Natalia Isayeva, Director of the all-Ukrainian Charitable Organization “Legalife-Ukraine” in Kirovohrad believes that officials should not make such discriminatory statements.

“Such actions of certain officials, who are not afraid of making discriminatory statements and declaring they will lobby for preventing amendments to the decree of Cabinet of Ministers, which approves the procedure for examination of blood donors, are inadmissible. This group of people [commercial sex workers, drug users, LGBT people] is already very marginalized in the society,” Natalia Isayeva said in a commentary to Human Rights Information Centre.

Now the human rights activists are preparing an official letter to the Health Ministry.