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Kiev halts medical aid to Donbas, allows no one to leave crisis zone — UN

Medical institutions in districts beyond government’s control receive no financing from central authorities

THE UNITED NATIONS, February 4. /TASS/. The United Nations Organization has noted the fact of a sharp growth of humanitarian problems for people in the zone of hostilities in east Ukraine due to Kiev authorities' action.

Kiev’s declaration of emergency and restricted access to war-torn eastern regions seriously complicates medicine delivery and bars civilians from leaving dangerous districts, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its 25th report.

The mission of the UN officials and their partners to the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk found out that medical institutions in districts beyond government’s control receive no financing from central authorities, monetary allocations to city hospitals for the purchases of medicines, foodstuffs and salary payments were stopped last summer. Programs funded by federal authorities, including for treatment and prevention of several chronic diseases, were halted completely, meanwhile, districts out of government’s control are short of medicines, the report said.

The UN agency also voiced concerns for continuous shelling of residential districts and conditions in which people have to live in eastern Ukraine.