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A “last-minute” decision has been made to refuse the export of some medications to the Ukrainian frontline, according to a local man undertaking a humanitarian aid project.
Boxes of medication had to be removed from a vehicle which had been repurposed as a frontline ambulance before it was shipped following a decision by Guernsey’s Chief Pharmacist.
Richard Myers, who organised the project, said he had contacted multiple agencies about the shipment.
“At a very early stage of putting this project together I contacted every agency I could think of in relation to taking non-prescription medicines to Ukraine from Guernsey,” he said.
Pictured: Guernsey customs assisted Mr Myers in completing the necessary declarations.
Mr Myers continued: “I contacted UK HMRC, French customs and Gendarmerie, German customs, Polish customs and state police and the Ukrainian embassy in London about the border situation.
“Every organisation, without exception, confirmed that as long as the medications were commercially available and non-prescription that the only requirement would be a detailed inventory.”
Some of the medications denied export from Guernsey were paracetamol, ibuprofen, hay fever tablets and Calpol.
Mr Myers continued: “when I made the booking with Condor Ferries, everything was openly declared and both Condor and Guernsey customs were incredibly helpful in guiding me through the customs declarations for France."
Pictured: the children's painkiller Calpol was among medication denied export from Guernsey to Ukraine.
Chief Pharmacist Beverley Hall said the decision had been made due to legal complexities.
"While we very much support the principles behind humanitarian donations, the inclusion of medicines is fraught with challenges from a legal perspective," she said.
"There are regulations in place under the Medicines (Human and Veterinary) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2008, which control the export of medicines. In addition to the Guernsey law, the World Health Organisation has guidelines which are equally geared around protecting recipient countries from inappropriate donation practices."
Pictured: repurposed vehicles have travelled from Guernsey to Ukraine.
Mr Myers is currently in Ukraine after he and his partner drove the first two repurposed vehicles from Guernsey.
“This project took approximately 10 days from idea to fruition; speed was, and remains, of the essence,” he said.
“I have spent the last five days driving from the UK with a very similar shipment which had no issues leaving the UK or at any subsequent border crossing. This aid has been delivered directly to both Ukrainian civilian and military medical services.
“Crossing into Ukraine for several days meant that my internet connection was sporadic, which undoubtedly affected the speed of communication, although I can’t emphasise enough that no-one at any stage raised the export as an issue until the very last moment.”
Pictured: Mr Myers has delivered medical supplies to the Ukrainian frontline.
Mr Myers said he was “deeply disappointed” with Ms Halls’ decision.
“The things we have seen first hand have really brought home the need to do as much as humanly possible to take aid directly to where it is needed,” he said.
Ms Hall said that she supported Mr Myers’ efforts.
"Having previously worked with the World Health Organisation and in areas of conflict, I am fully supportive of the very good intentions behind this proposed donation of medicines to Ukraine, but the export of medicine is tightly controlled by the law and naturally we cannot give people advice or approvals that break the law," she said.
"I am very willing to work with the team behind this to help them understand the challenges and reasons for the legislation, and it’s important to highlight that these refer to medicines specifically, not medical supplies. I would also urge anyone else in the community who is considering organising this kind of humanitarian effort to contact us for advice."
Pictured: a shipment of medical supplies which left Guernsey on Wednesday after the medications were removed.
Olga Turkoglu, a volunteer helping Mr Myers with his project, is from Ukraine.
“Out of 22,780 pharmacies in Ukraine, only 10,530 are still open. My mum in Kyiv only managed to get her medications this week for the first time since the war started,” she said.
“My mum had to walk to a pharmacy 30 minutes from her home with the risk of air sirens because her local pharmacy had huge queues and when it was finally her turn they had sold out of her regular medication.
“In the temporarily occupied territories the situation is much worse and there are almost no pharmacies open. People in those territories are getting medication from the government and humanitarian convoys.”
Pictured: there are long queues in Ukraine for services such as pharmacies.
Mrs Turkoglu welcomed Ms Hall’s offer of support.
“I am happy to see the readiness for cooperation, although it would have been helpful to have received such a response at the time rather than just the rejection of shipping the medication," she said.
I would be very happy to learn more about the licences and what might be needed and I am really thankful for the offer of support with this."
Mrs Turkoglu is awaiting a response from the Guernsey Border Agency on the issue.
“We are looking into the fastest way to get the medications to Ukraine, which may mean sending the boxes via Guernsey Post,” she said.
“Although there has been a delay, we are determined to ensure the delivery of the medication to the people who need it.”
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