The solidarity of healthcare companies, whose donations are federated by the Tulipe association (Transfert d’Urgence de L’Industrie PharmaceutiquE), is a long-term commitment. 100 tonnes of health products have been sent to Ukraine since the beginning of 2023. An update from the Tulipe association’s Director of Operations, Alexandre Laridan.
How many health products have been donated to Ukraine since January 2023?
We have sent around 100 tonnes of medical products to Ukraine in several parts of the country, but mainly close to the current front line.
Which NGOs supported by Tulipe are working in Ukraine?
We have a fairly well-defined group of NGOs on the ground. We work mainly withAide Médicale Franco-Ukrainienne (AMCFU), which manages donations, particularly in hospitals around the Kharkiv region, which is very important to us. We are also working with smaller NGOs to reach rural areas that have no access to medical products. To this end, the number of partnerships has increased. Tulipe is supporting a new NGO, Safe, the Comité d’Aide Médicale Franco-Ukrainien, to which an initial donation has been made for areas in the east of the country.
Three of the Tulipe association’s permanent staff in the warehouse at Le Thillay (95). This is where donations from pharmaceutical companies are received and checked, where Tulipe kits are put together and sent or collected by partner NGOs.
How is the situation developing in the country?
The situation is always difficult to assess because it changes so much. What is certain is that there is more and more bombing, particularly in the east, in the Kharkiv region. This makes the supply of medical products more difficult, because we want to contribute to shipments that will not be intercepted. This can sometimes lead us to postpone certain shipments. Studies carried out by the United Nations show us that there is always a phenomenon of wastage, of difficulty in obtaining medical products in rural areas. Areas where people fleeing bombed cities are increasingly congregating. That’s why we try to reach these areas as often as possible.
What kind of partnerships do you have with NGOs in the field?
We have formed a partnership with an NGO called Motanka (via The Heat Fund). It has a strong presence in the Kharkiv region. This NGO will work in these rural areas with medical caravans going from village to village. This seems to be the most practical modus operandi in Ukraine today.
How is the pharmaceutical industry currently mobilising via Tulipe?
In 2022, we received a large number of donations from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Some of these donations from 2022 were redirected to 2023. We tried to keep some in stock, knowing that it would be a little harder to obtain donations in 2023. The war goes on, it’s an emergency like many others. It’s not always easy to support and appeal for donations. That’s precisely what we’re trying to do by educating laboratories and the healthcare world in general. We explain that the war goes on, that the needs continue. We can’t let go of our donations, we can’t let go of the Ukrainians today.
What other areas is the association currently working in?
The current humanitarian emergency is in Sudan, with the internal war that the Sudanese people are suffering. It is currently impossible for medical NGOs to operate in Sudan because of the raging conflict. A large number of Sudanese refugees are located in Chad. A humanitarian bridge was therefore set up several weeks ago to help the refugee camps that have sprung up on the border between Sudan and Chad. We have already sent a number of donations to support these people.
