Ukraine's Defence Ministry to establish medical department for standardising tourniquets and first-aid kits

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has signed an order on the creation of a medical department under the ministry, which will allow for the standardisation of tourniquets and combat first-aid kits for Ukrainian soldiers.

Source: Nataliia Kalmykova, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine 

Quote: "At the same time, we are working with Western partners on the possibility of a quick decision regarding the confirmation of the quality of tourniquets produced in Ukraine by those institutions that ensure compliance with the standards of quality in the USA."

Details: Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have an approved list of components of a combat first-aid kit, but there is no procedure and technical means to determine their quality.

After the implementation of standardisation, the first-aid kits and tourniquets given to military units by the state will be checked. First-aid kits that do not meet the standards will be removed and replaced with quality ones.

Background:

• In the summer of 2023, poor-quality tourniquets at the front caused controversy in Ukraine, with the 82nd Air Assault Brigade being the prime example. Hemostatic tourniquets fail to stop the bleeding when used by the military personnel of the 82nd Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Forces during combat missions. 
• The incident gained publicity on 20 July, when volunteer Oksana Korchynska posted about it on social media. Her post launched a large public discussion of the problems of tactical medicine in Ukraine.
• According to Korchynska, about 50,000-60,000 of Chinese-made tourniquets might have reached the front by then. Worst of all, these tourniquets were supposed to undergo the inspection of the command of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – a body that, in theory, should not allow low-quality medical equipment on the front.
• The command of the Medical Forces, in turn, stated that after the controversy, it had checked the tourniquets and that "the information about the malfunction of tourniquets in the specified first-aid kits that is being spread in the media was not confirmed."
• On 31 July, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence heard a report from Medical Forces Command on the situation with tactical medicine and gave it two weeks to check all first-aid kits for military personnel in Ukraine.
• In mid-August, it was revealed that law enforcement officers are investigating criminal proceedings regarding possible violations in the formation of first-aid kits for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Anton Shevchuk, Head of the Medical Service of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade, who requested that Medical Forces Command replace poor-quality Chinese tourniquets and asked social activist Oksana Korchynska to help with this, was given a "severe reprimand".

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