On the absence of BCG vaccine in Ukraine, the issue of responsibility for failure to arrange timely deliveries of the vaccine and causing harm to the health and lives of Ukraine’s children
Open letter to the Prime Minister of Ukraine
Tuberculosis is a disease recognised by the international community as infectious and especially dangerous to the population which, like COVID-19, is capable of being transmitted with human breathing and affect the lungs. Statistics on TB, both international and domestic, has been staggering.
Based on the World Health Organisation’s data for 2018 and research by the George Washington University (USA) into the most deadly bacterial and viral diseases of the humanity, every day 4,109 people died of TB worldwide, as opposed to 2,109 of HIV/AIDS and 1,109 of malaria.
At the same time, our country ranks 2nd in the world in the spread of the most dangerous form of tuberculosis, XDR-TB.
And although COVID-19 ranks first in the present-day world, the inevitable and unpreventable combination of these socially dangerous infections in Ukraine poses an exterminative threat to the current and future generations of Ukrainians.
The main hope of Ukraine’s Government in both situations is for timely vaccination: of the entire population against COVID-19 and of children against TUBERCULOSIS.
But if the issue of ensuring vaccination against COVID-19 is really dealt with by Ukraine’s Government, BCG vaccine (for TB prevention) is virtually absent in Ukraine.
According to the WHO, the estimated TB incidence in children is 4.5 times the national one.
BCG is effective in preventing severe TB-related complications in children. More than 90% of children in Ukraine must be inoculated every year with this vaccine. It is widely used worldwide, especially in countries with a high TB burden, one of which is Ukraine. In Ukraine and many other countries, inoculation with BCG vaccine is obligatory.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a disgraceful situation in Ukraine: because of the absence of BCG vaccine in the country, vaccination of newborns was halted. For the first time in Ukraine’s history, children haven’t been vaccinated for a year.
In 2015, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine began to purchase medicines based on agreements with and through the mediation of international organisations. In 2019, after adoption of the law amending the Law of Ukraine “On Public Purchases”, purchase of medicines, vaccines and medical products through international organisations was prolonged for two more years.
At the same time, agreements (memorandums) between the Government of Ukraine and international organisations that purchase medicines using state budget funds regarding the vitally important BCG vaccine aren’t publicly available, which, unfortunately, gives rise to discussions about possible existence of the corruption component in the process.
And if previously the cause of the growth in pediatric TB was believed to be insufficient detection, flaws in statistics, now it has also been spurred, in our opinion, by the results of the unsuccessful and imperfect reform of the system of TB care for the population. The absence of real controlled outpatient treatment of patients, transfer of complex specialised TB care functions to family doctors who aren’t capable yet of providing this care in full have paved the way for an expected explosive growth in TB incidence, first of all, MDR-TB and XDR-TB incidence.
These causes have led to very severe consequences amid the Covid pandemic that has made both the state and the population focus their attention and resources on it, leaving the deadly threat of TB without proper attention from the Government of Ukraine.
In this connection, given the extreme importance of this problem, we insist that:
- Agreements (memorandums) between Ukraine’s Government and international intermediaries regarding purchase of medicines, vaccines and medical products for treating TB, with signatories’ names, should be made publicly available.
- Information should be provided about the official of the APPARATUS of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine who’s in charge of overseeing the performance of the relevant agreement (memorandum) and, therefore, must bear responsibility for failure to arrange timely deliveries and causing harm to the health and lives of small Ukrainians.
- Information should be provided about urgent measures taken by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to deal with the said problems, including, if necessary, replacement of the international intermediary and revocation of state funds not used by it.
The open letter has also been sent to the addresses of the President of Ukraine, committees and factions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Thank you for response in advance, yours sincerely
Charitable Organisation “The Ukrainians Against TB” Public Movement” Foundation”
“Stop TB Together” Coalition of Organisations