The volume of humanitarian aid provided by the Red Cross in the Vitebsk region in January-October amounted to Br366.3 million.

November 10, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRCS) with the support of international organizations provided humanitarian aid to citizens and healthcare facilities of the region worth Br366.3 million in January-October 2009, the chairperson of the regional organization Galina Zhelanova told a BELTA correspondent. The main part of the humanitarian aid was aimed at equipping the material and technical base of healthcare facilities and nursing homes. Thus, partner organizations of the German Red Cross provided functional beds, furniture, and wheelchairs for the Braslav and Novolukoml district hospitals, the regional diagnostic center, maternity hospital No. 1 in Vitebsk, and the regional dental clinic. Hygiene products worth about Br8.7 million were sent by organizations of the Swiss Red Cross for 19 nursing homes operating in the region. Under the "Humanitarian Aid to Vulnerable Groups" program, city and district BRCS organizations distributed food packages worth a total of Br43 million, which were received by almost 600 low-income and socially vulnerable residents of the region. Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere between the Vitebsk regional organization of the BRCS and foreign partners will continue in 2010. Agreements on the supply of functional beds have been reached with colleagues from the Red Cross of the city of Zike (Germany). Such assistance will be directed, in particular, to equipping a hospice organized on the basis of the Oktyabrskaya district hospital. With the support of international organizations, the "Humanitarian Aid to Vulnerable Groups" project will also continue to be implemented, Galina Zhelanova added. -0-