Blood system of Ukraine as an element of national biosecurity in the healthcare sector in war

The present-day world is marked by the outbreak of the global crisis, and is facing multiple and complex challenges that affect the most diverse fields of public life. Bio-threats are diversifying and expanding, and almost every person more often and often experiences their effect and negative impact. For this reason, national biosecurity, in particular in the healthcare sector, has become an integral part of the government policy in many countries, including Ukraine. In Ukraine, the relevance of national biosecurity in the healthcare sector is determined not only by countering the impact of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 spread, but also by large-scale armed aggression — a war that undermines the security of the entire Ukrainian nation in today’s world in an unprecedented way, including national biosecurity in the healthcare sector.In the conditions of war, there is a continuous need for the donor blood and its components, as well as for the maintenance of adequate infrastructure that will effectively ensure the collection and use of blood and its components/production of the necessary blood products.The article explores the structure of the blood system of Ukraine, which is three-tiered and comprises national, regional, and hospital tiers, and reveals signs that provide further evidence of the strategically important value of the national blood system during hostilities.It is noted that using the latest achievements of modern science and technology fosters opportunities for blood transfusion and development of intellectual property, in particular, related to the patent protection of relevant inventions.The NATO medical doctrine raises the critical importance of the blood supply. It is worth noting that during the war, the proper functioning of the blood system is crucial both for saving the lives of civilians and military personnel.Ukraine should encompass the bloody experience of Russian aggression to reform the legal framework pertaining to determination of the strategic importance of the blood system for ensuring national security, in particular biosafety in the healthcare sector (having regard to the critical importance of observing safety measures at all stages of handlingblood and its components and accumulating strategic blood supply).