‘We cannot abandon these people’: EU opens medical evacuation centre in Poland to transfer Ukrainian patients
September 2, 2022

‘We cannot abandon these people’: EU opens medical evacuation centre in Poland to transfer Ukrainian patients


On 1 September, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, opened the new EU Medevac Hub in Poland for medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients. 

The hub is strategically located near the Polish city of Rzeszów, which hosts one of the closest airports to Ukraine.

The new EU Medevac Hub, financed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, is part of a broader medical evacuation scheme launched by the European Union in March 2022.

The hub will provide a safe space for patients arriving from Ukraine before they are sent for treatment to a hospital in another European country. The hub will provide patients with round-the-clock care, screening for illnesses, vaccinations and mental health support. It is also designed to facilitate the work of medical staff in caring for vulnerable patients arriving from Ukraine.

“The number of wounded people in Ukraine grows every day, and hospitals already short in supplies are struggling to keep up with the needs. At the same time, the destruction of healthcare facilities deprives chronically ill patients of the treatment they need to survive. We cannot abandon these people,” said Commissioner Lenarčič.

The medical evacuation scheme includes two medevac flights a week, offered by Norway, and transporting patients from Rzeszów to countries offering onward treatment.

Since 11 March, 1,143 Ukrainian patients in need of medical evacuation have been transferred to 18 European countries.

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