Even seasonal flu vaccines absent in Minsk hospitals

Despite of flu outbreak and death cases which have become more frequent, medical institutions of Minsk experience vaccines supply disruptions. Vaccination is not made in most hospitals.

On November 9 BelaPAN reporter called to a number of medical institutions to find out where a flu shot could be made. In most city policlinics vaccination at the expense of citizens is not made because of shortage of vaccines. Minsk dwellers are offered a free immunization in polyclinics in the district where they are registered, but before that they are to address their district doctors previously.

In commercial medical centres of Minsk, like Nordin, Ekomedservis, Lode, vaccination to private persons is not made as vaccines are absent at the moment.

The city sanitary service explained to BelaPAN that vaccines in commercial centres has no connection to the state-run health system organisation, and depends solely on their cooperation with suppliers.

In his turn, deputy director of Ekomedservis Andrei Syarheeu informed that at the moment “there are problems with deliveries of vaccines Influvac (Belgium) and Vaxigrip (France). “It is not because we cannot or do not want to buy them, but because we run out of all the vaccines received by Belarus very soon,” he explained.

As said by Syarheeu, every year the number of people who want to be vaccinated, is increasing, so “it is hard to predict for suppliers how many vaccines are to be sold”. But as far as the vaccine is received by the storehouse of the medical centre, vaccination of both private persons and corporate customers is made, primarily from the waiting list, the deputy director stated.

According to the reports of the sanitary service of the capital, about 100,000 Minsk dwellers have made vaccination against flu: 5,000 at their own cost, 35,000 at the expense of organizations and enterprises. Vaccination was held mostly with living vaccine manufactured by Russia, and Fluarix (Germnay) bought at the expense of the state budget.

We remind that in the end of the last week, during an online conference at the website of the Belarusian TV and Radio Company the chairman of the health care committee of Minsk city executive committee Zmitser Pinevich called upon Minsk dwellers to make flu shots, as the second wave of flu and cold is expected.

As informed by charter97.org earlier, there is still no swine flu vaccine in Belarus, though the number of people who are infected with this disease is growing. According to official reports of the Health Care Ministry, as of November 8 more than 100 persons are ill. The exact number of dead is not revealed. The Health Ministry promises that swine flu vaccine will be bought in Russia, however it is unknown when it would be received by Belarus. The first stage of vaccination against flu A/H1N1 has started in Russia on November 9.