EU Commissioner Lahbib: almost 4,000 patients transferred from Ukraine to European hospitals

Already 4,000 Ukrainian patients – wounded soldiers and civilians and patients with cancer – have been transferred to hospitals in 22 EU countries for life-saving treatments, Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, announced during her visit to Poland and Ukraine, which started last Friday.  

In Poland, in addition to the EU hub for medical evacuations (Medevac) in Rzeszów, Hadja Lahbib visited the warehouse hosting strategic reserves of rescEU response capacities, including generators. 

Supplies from this rescEU warehouse have contributed to over 153,000 tonnes of assistance sent to Ukraine since February 2022 through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Fully funded by the EU, rescEU aims to protect citizens from disasters and manage emerging risks by strengthening European preparedness and crisis response capacity in Europe.

On 12 January, Lahbib arrived in Ukraine to hold a series of meetings at government level and visited EU humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine, including those focused on education, health, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

With Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, the Commissioner visited an EU-funded school with a fully equipped shelter. 

She also visited the premises of the Ukraine’s State Service for Emergency Situations (SESU).

“The EU-funded equipment helps locate people buried under rubble, put out fires, demine, provide medical aid, and create safe spaces for people under attack,” Hadja Lahbib wrote on Facebook.

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