Defence Ministry Wants To Make Hay On Purchase Of First Aid Kits
- 28.04.2023, 9:09
Journalists have revealed how much Lukashenka's generals are willing to steal.
The Defence Ministry of Belarus has planned to buy 2,400 individual first aid kits - the very products that are "better than the NATO ones", the expert in setting up of which was Mikalai Lukashenka. Each first-aid kit was priced at about 360 rubles - considerably more expensive than in NATO countries and Ukraine. Zerkalo journalists collected an identical kit at retail and found out that without taking into account delivery, the Belarusian military would overpay at least 144 thousand rubles.
What Happened
A proposal from the Belarusian Ministry of Defence has been published on the Belarusian public procurement portal. According to the site, the department plans to spend Br880,000 on 2,400 individual first-aid kits, that is, each unit will cost 366.6 BYN.
Technically, this is a hybrid of the Soviet first-aid kits and the classic NATO IFAK, which is the basic one in the Alliance countries. The Western version assumes that the main problem of a wounded man will be bleeding (which needs to be stopped and then the fighter needs to be warmed up, as one loses heat when bleeding) and chest wounds (which need to be bandaged and then it's necessary to avoid negative consequences like pneumothorax).
Soviet first-aid kits were lavishly stocked with pills to counteract colds, dysentery, water purification and so on. There were fewer components for stopping blood, almost nothing for rescuing chest wounds.
The first-aid kits bought by the Defence Ministry have certainly approached NATO standards and have become more useful for any soldier who will use them. However, the price of nearly 367 rubles for a bulk purchase is quite high. In Ukraine, for example, an IFAK first aid kit can be freely purchased for 2,836 hryvnia (about 200 rubles as of April 27). In NATO countries it is even cheaper - in Poland, for example, it costs 223 PLN, or 145 rubles.
Let's Try Making a First Aid Kit By Ourselves
At first glance it is difficult to understand why the first aid kit, purchased by the Belarusian Defense Ministry, has become so expensive. Journalists tried to make it themselves in Belarusian drugstores and shops. Things we couldn't find, can be ordered from Russia and China.
As a result, the first-aid kit costs 306.48 rubles without delivery. These are retail prices - if you buy in bulk they will definitely be lower.
Found in Belarus:
1. Sterile medical bandage 5 m by 10 cm - 1.65 rubles;
2. Sterile bandage medical bandage 7 m to 14 cm - from 1.81 rubles;
3. Medical supraglottic airway (to help the wounded to breathe) - 3.52 rubles;
4. Doxycycline 100 mg - from 2.15 rubles;
5. Tourniquet medical styptic tourniquet in a sheath (military call it just "tourniquet") - 40.48 rubles;
6. Rubber tourniquet (also called Esmarh tourniquet) - 4.18;
7. Band-Aid medical 5 m x 2 cm (we didn't find a completely similar one, the one described at the link is twice as short - take 2 pcs) - 2.42 roubles;
8. Loperamide hydrochloride 2 mg - 0.62 rubles;
9. Indelible marker - 1.16 rubles;
10. Scissors for cutting bandages - 15 rubles;
11. Thermal insulating blanket - 7 rubles;
12. Individual medical bandaging bag - 12 rubles;
13. Medical gloves - from 0.37 rubles per pair. There are two of them in the first aid kit, so 0.74 rubles;
14. Piralgin #10 (this is a narcotic analgesic in a pill, not allowed without a prescription) - from 3.01 rubles
15. Ammonia wipes - from 0.10 rubles, we need five of them, so 0.50 rubles;
16. Chlorhexidine bigluconate 40ml - from 0.94 rubles.
17. First-aid kit case - 20.5 rubles.
18. Instructions - cost unknown, but a piece of paper is unlikely to be expensive, so let's neglect it.
Total: 117.68 roubles.
Not Found In Belarus
Plastic ampoule carrier - available in Russia for 240 Russian rubles (8.63 BYN);
Compression bandage - can be ordered with free shipping on Chinese AliExpress for 4.66 USD (13.69 BYN);
Occlusive application bandage (to seal a punctured chest) - available in Russia for 750 Russian rubles (26.97 BYN). We need two of them in the first aid kit, as required by the Ministry of Defence, so 53.94 BYN.
We have not managed to find Promedol on the free market but it usually costs about 800 Russian rubles per ml (about 29 BYN). There are two of them in the first aid kit, so 59 BYN.
A sterile hemostatic agent on a chitosan-based bandage - in Russia, Hemoflex bandage is sold for 1490 Russian rubles (53.54 BYN).
Total: 188.8 RUB.
The difference in price between the first aid kit we made and the one procured by the Ministry of Defence is 60.12 roubles. The entire batch of 2,400 units will cost 144,288 rubles. We remind you that these are retail prices, and when buying in bulk, companies will be prepared to provide a much more favourable price.