The role of the public health system in the conditions of a humanitarian disaster

Abstract

For the third month in a row, Ukraine has been resisting Russia's full-scale armed aggression. Throughout the martial law, citizens of all over the world focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians, cooperating with volunteer organizations, supporting the Armed Forces and Ukraine's defense capabilities. However, the importation of humanitarian aid into Ukraine raises many procedural issues, especially for military and/or dual-use item. The humanitarian catastrophe during the war causes mass human suffering, aggression, social disruption, high mortality and destruction. An effective solution to this problem requires the use of a wide range of emergency resources. Humanitarian disasters are responded to in accordance with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)/Red Crescent Code, which aims to prevent or alleviate human suffering from disaster or conflict, and the Sphere Humanitarian Charter, which defines the rights of people affected by armed conflict. Territorial units of the Ukrainian Red Cross have been active since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Red Cross of Ukraine has become a powerful public organization that provides medical, social, humanitarian and psychological assistance to victims. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Cross of Denmark, Italy, Poland, Romania, Germany, Spain, China, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Andorra, and the Turkish Red Crescent also joined in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine.