EU and UNDP help to train ambulance drivers as paramedics in eastern Ukraine

A total of 30 ambulance drivers in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts have upgraded their skills with the EU and UNDP support. Now they are qualified in the newly introduced speciality of ‘emergency medical technician’ and are able to provide first aid in emergency situations.

The three-month training course took place in two stages: the trainees studied first aid theory at the Lysychansk and Bakhmut medical professional colleges, and then underwent practical training at the Luhansk and Donetsk regional emergency care and disaster medicine centres.

“We hope the situation will change radically now that, in three months, we have trained the first group of drivers, who can now provide professional support to medical workers in emergency medical teams,” Dmytro Kiseliov, director of the Luhansk Regional Centre for Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine, said. “In future, we expect to train all technical staff in first aid.”

“We know that today the residents of the Luhansk Oblast need a significantly improved quality of medical care,” said Natalia Vershinina, Director of Lysychansk Medical College. “The training of ambulance drivers in this new programme is one such step on the way to providing quality medical care in line with European standards.”

The first training programme in the ‘Emergency medical technician’ speciality was launched at the end of March 2021 in Donetsk Oblast. The training was provided by UNDP under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with financial support from the European Union.

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Press release