A world where everyone benefits from access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines and health technologies, as well as from pharmaceutical care services provided by pharmacists, in collaboration with other healthcare professionals is the vision that FIP is working towards. FIP condemns all acts of violence or war causing suffering, and has long supported the pharmacy profession in humanitarian work.

As healthcare professionals, pharmacists have an ethical duty and responsibility of providing aid to others in disaster situations. We remind all our members and others of our Statement of Policy on the role of the pharmacist in the management of disasters, be they natural or man-made, war, civil disorder or pandemics.

FIP responds to direct requests from its members in line with our vision. We have offered support of differing kinds to colleagues in Afghanistan and Lebanon in recent years, as well as through the African Pharmaceutical Forum to Sudan and Ethiopia. Our plans for support of those in need as a result of the war in Ukraine are set out below.

“FIP will always endeavour to support our colleagues across the world, responding to their requests and not acting alone. We will always assess need against request, but our offer of support is universal and equitable. We are witnessing heroic efforts by the Ukrainian people and our pharmacy colleagues. It is truly moving, inspiring and terrifying in equal measure,” said FIP CEO Catherine Duggan.

Resources from FIP

	Medication instructions/pictograms -- useable form in English, German, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian.
	Medication instructions/pictograms -- example of how to use
	Tables of equivalence between medicines registered in Ukraine and those available in other countries.
	“Guidance to facilitate the integration of the refugee pharmacy workforce from Ukraine”

• The International League Against Epilepsy has produced a number of resources to support people with epilepsy in crisis situations, including:

• The Medicines Information Centre of the Portuguese National Association of Pharmacies has developed a tool to support pharmacists in identifying medicines that are similar to those available in Ukraine.
• The Belgian Pharmaceutical Association (APB) Scientific Department has identified a Ukrainian drug compendium providing an overview of all medicines in Ukraine.
• IQVIA has set up a script translator to aid translation of Ukrainian products into equivalents from 14 other countries.
• The Irish Pharmacy Union has worked with the Ukrainian embassy in Ireland to produce questions and counselling points for pharmacy teams translated from English into Ukrainian, available here.
• The FIP Global Humanitarian Competency Framework (GbHCF) guides the development of pharmacists practising or wishing to practise in the humanitarian field, providing pharmaceutical expertise and services during disasters and to people affected by armed conflict.
• The Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association (KNMP) published information in Ukrainian related to 50 medicines and pictograms with text in Dutch and Ukrainian. A list of equivalents for Ukrainian registered medicines not available in the Netherlands is also available here.
• The World Health Organization Academy Emergency Response Learning & Response Centre offers a variety of videos and reading materials on mass casualty management.
• WHO Guidance Note for the acceptance of donations of medical supplies in support of the Ukraine emergency response.

Update from the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber (15/5/22)

People of the Ivanovo community, Chernihiv region, one of the first to be occupied by Russian forces, are receiving much needed medicines thanks to a project led by two FIP members Oleg Klimov, chair of the All Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber (AUPC), and Rafal Hechmann, founder of Farmaceuci.org, Poland: The All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber United European Family Charitable Foundation was set up at the end of April. The project has the support of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Ten of the 17 settlements in the Ivanovo community (population 7,500), were temporarily occupied by Russian forces, leaving medical supply chains, electricity supplies and all types of communication (including telephone and internet) destroyed, the AUPC reported. “This humanitarian mission of EU pharmacists launched in Ukraine differs from other humanitarian projects of many donors and patrons who direct the flows of humanitarian goods in our difficult hours. It proposes a new approach to donor funding and forming budgets for humanitarian funds,” Oleg Klimov, AUPC chair, told FIP.

Medicines of Ukraine LLC was involved in the implementation of the project together with the employees of healthcare institutions and local self-government bodies of the Chernihiv region, namely two pharmacies, a GP from the Ivaniv Outpatient Clinic, the village head of the Ivanivska territorial community of Kozelets district, and a representative of the volunteer center of Ivanivka territorial community of Kozelets district. Under the auspices of Polish pharmacists humanitarian organisation Farmaceuci.org, funds were raised to purchase medicines for specific patients, lists of which were compiled by the GP based on individual treatment protocols. LLC Medicines of Ukraine ensured the purchase of all the medicines through the two pharmacies at the supplier’s price (without pharmacy markup), which allowed 24% more medicines to be obtained and the following goals to be met:

• Optimal use of donor funds and coverage of more patients;
• Lean costs and time for logistics services;
• Receipt of feedback on the intended use of medicines by a particular patient.

A wide range of medicines, including antibiotics, insulin, antihypertensives, treatments for asthma, cardiovascular disease, rhinitis andkidney diseases, as well as painkillers and cold and cough medicines have reached people in need thanks to the project. “Having taken the first joint step, we confidently say that this path is obviously the right one,” Dr Klimov said.

Donations to the FIP Fund will be forwarded to this charitable foundation. Click here to donate.

Left to right: Vita Honchar (pharmacist, Pharmacy 89), Oleg Klimov (AUPC chair, and president of the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber United European Family Charitable Foundation), Svitlana Liskovych (pharmacist, Pharmacy 2), Rafal Hechmann (founder, Farmaceuci.org).

Update from the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber (4/3/22)

FIP stands in solidarity with its Ukrainian colleagues. We call for access to medicines to be safeguarded and for humanitarian corridors in Ukraine to be established and protected in order to allow the transport of medicines and medical equipment to those who need them.

The World Health Professions Alliance, of which FIP is a founding member, supports the health statement released by global medical and public health organisations calling for an immediate end to war in Ukraine

Situation report from the World Health Organization

As documented by WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care, attacks on health care
(including those against health facilities, transport, personnel, patients, supplies and warehouses)
continue to be reported, with 269 attacks on health care, resulting in 59 injuries and 76 deaths,
reported between 24 February and 1 June. WHO Situation Reports, outlining priority public health concerns and health needs, including in countries receiving refugees, are available here.

FIP’s actions and what you can do

• Subsequent to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, FIP has been in contact with the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber, as is our custom to reach out to our member organisations in a time of tragedy. FIP is acting on a request from The All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber to organise humanitarian aid, in line with our vision.
• FIP obtained a list of aid products that are needed, developed by The Ukraine Ministry of Health.
• Oleksii Iaremenko, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine for European Integration, is coordinating the receipt of humanitarian goods (email: o.yaremenko@moz.gov.ua). FIP continues active contact with several groups, both within and across the profession and external to the profession, in a concerted effort to provide support to our colleagues in Ukraine and maintain access to pharmaceutical care for its people.
• FIP’s observer organisation the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), for example, has called on pharmacists across Europe to support the initiatives of their national pharmaceutical associations and/or international humanitarian organisations (more here). FIP seeks to amplify the work of the PGEU, and we advise all PGEU members to follow PGEU guidance. FIP continues to work with the European pharmacy family to be ready to offer aid. Non-EU members who wish to make donations are able to contact the Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine for European Integration.
• The World Health Organization has established a web page on medical supplies donations for Ukraine, which includes a list of critical needs requested by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. In an effort to match supply with demand, offers outside of the published list can at this time not be considered, the organisation says.

• FIP’s Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section has put out a call to its members. Many have said that they are available and willing to help. Knowing that Poland was expecting about 2 million refugees and that most Polish pharmacists do not speak Ukrainian or Russian, the MEPS worked with the FIP Foundation for Education and Research, the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber and FIP member Piotr Merks, to provide pharmacists with pictograms in English, German, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian (click here). (Find out more about the Pictograms Project here.)

Next steps

• We continue to work closely with the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber (AUPC) to ensure safe and reliable supply routes. We are in regular contact with the AUPC to ensure that our actions are the most appropriate during these very changeable and urgent times.
• We are exploring collaborations with the other healthcare professions on the provision of humanitarian aid, including support for refugees (see below for information on what other health professions have been doing).
• FIP’s Military and Humanitarian Section is keeping track of the situation and will forward information to FIP headquarters.
• FIP is working with the WHO Foundation and other member organisations to ensure that all our endeavours are supported and enabled by them. We have committed to keep the lines of communication open between our federation and the WHO Foundation. This will be essential for supply management, while understanding the need to adapt in the coming future.
• We continue to actively seek support from our members and the pharmacy profession around the world.
  
  

Examples of aid from the global pharmacy family so far

• The Japan Pharmaceutical Association donates to the FIP Ukraine Fund. (24/05/22)
• PharmaSuisse donates to the FIP fund for Ukraine. (14/04/22)
• The Japanese Society of Hospital Pharmacists donates to the FIP fund for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (23/3/22)
• Pharmacists Without Borders Austria is supported by the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists and the Medical Association for Vienna to organise medicines delivery to Ukrainian healthcare facilities by wholesalers in a procedure agreed with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. More here. (3/22)
• The KNMP (Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association) publishes Dutch-Ukrainian dosing instructions. (3/22)
• French pharmacy organisations make public calls for donations to Pharmacie Humanitaire Internationale. (3/22)
• The Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber creates a website of information on how pharmacists can provide support to refugees. Volunteers with pharmaceutical education are on duty at care points. (3/22)
• A pharmacy in Madeira, Portugal, offers accomodation and training to two or three Ukrainian pharmacists. (3.22)
• German pharmacies in Hesse offer free COVID-19 vaccinations to refugees from Ukraine. (16/3/22)
• The Czech Chamber of Pharmacists have developed a pharmacy communication card for use by Czech pharmacists to communicate with Ukrainians. More here. (11/3/22)
• The Malta Chamber of Pharmacists collects around 41,000 EUR of medical supplied as requested by the Ukraine Ministry of Health. (11/3/22)
• The American Association of Pharmacists issues a statement of solidarity with pharmacy teams serving Ukrainian citizens. (10/3/22)
• The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union donates funds to the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber. (9/3/22)
• The American Association of Pharmacists donates to the FIP fund for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (9/3/22)
• The Turkish Pharmacists' Association sends paramedic first aid kits to Ukraine through the Red Crescent Movement and Turkey's Ministry of Health. (9/3/2022)
• The Yemen Community Pharmacy Owner Syndicate pledges to train 10 Yemeni pharmacists in humanitarian services, despite themselves being in a war zone and experiencing air strikes. "We believe in [pharmacists’] humanitarian duty towards patients and people injured during wars and other disasters. We wish to provide aid in the field without discrimination,” the syndicate’s chairman Mohamed Al-Nuzili told FIP. (8/03/2021)
• The British Columbia Pharmacy Association donates to the FIP fund for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (5/3/22)
• The Canadian Pharmacists Association donates to the FIP fund for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (4/3/22)
• The Finnish Pharmacy Association has collected over 75,000 EUR in donations from its members (3/3/22)
• Medifon, a subsidiary of the Finnish Pharmacy Association, leaves for Ukraine with 10,000 EUR in wound care products: https://www.apteekkari.fi/uutiset/apteekkariliiton-medifon-vie-hataapua-ukrainaan (1/3/22)
• Federfarma is coordinating Italy’s pharmacies and pharmacy associations to fundraise for the purchase of first aid, medicines and medical devices for Ukraine as part of a call from the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union: https://www.federfarma.it/Edicola/Filodiretto/VediNotizia.aspx?id=23513 (1/3/22) A later update says 380,000 EUR has been collected so far.
• The General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain is collaborating with the NGO Farmamundi to prepare a shipment of medical supplies to Ukraine and has asked its members for donations: http://ow.ly/qUS050I5VOk  (28/2/22)

Articles & reports

• "Providing a true gateway to care for refugees in Poland" International Pharmaceutical Journal, April 2022.
• "Humanitarian response in Ukraine amid crisis" International Pharmaceutical Journal, March 2022.
• Pharmacy students allowed to work in pharmacies under martial law State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, March 2022.

What the nurses are doing

Actions of the International Council of Nurses include hosting a call with Ukrainian Nurses from hospitals across the country, our association and presidents of Associations in countries neighboring Ukraine and issuing a statement based on that, including evidence of attacks of healthcare facilities emerging and issues with medical supplies. The ICN is working to mobilise all its associations' advocacy on the call for a ceasefire and negotiations. — Howard Catton, CEO, International Council of Nurses

What the physicians are doing

The World Medical Association (WMA) has set up a task force with the Standing Committee of European Doctors and the European Forum for Medical Associations. (The Ukrainian Medical Association is a member pf all three). The association has approached the EU to step up medical aid and asked its members to approach their foreign ministers to do the same. Addresses and contact points for the five official Ukrainian help hubs at the borders to Poland, Slovakia and Romania to transport material into Ukraine and been collected and we are establishing a private supply channel with the help of our Polish Colleagues and the Ukrainian Medical Association. — Otmar Kloiber, secretary general, World Medical Association

What the physiotherapists are doing

Rehabilitation is part of the emergency medicine team at the World Health Organization and our contact has convened roundtables with colleagues at the International Committee of the Red Cross and the key rehabilitation professions to coordinate our activities. We are liaising with our member organisation in Poland, who is very engaged and will be spearheading our response in the region. At this stage there has not been a strong call for rehabilitation services but as the able body displaced people start to be replaced by casualties of war I imagine this will quickly escalate. — Jonathon Kruger, CEO, World Physiotherapy