About 2,500 affected Ukrainians sent for specialized treatment to clinics in Europe: Iryna Mykychak

Since the first days of the full-scale war, thanks to the active cooperation of Ukraine with international partners, about 2,500 injured Ukrainians needing specialized treatment and further rehabilitation have been sent to clinics in Europe.

Medical evacuation of injured Ukrainians to foreign clinics is being arranged through close cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and international partners, in particular within the framework of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the European Commission, with the support of the WHO, the Polish Government, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Medical Mission Charity Foundation, and paramedic transport teams from Poland, Germany, and other countries. It should be noted that partners do not accept requests for evacuation, but perform a technical function, namely, evacuate the injured Ukrainians, provide prompt medical assistance and accompany patients to hospitals.

“Today, Ukraine is going through difficult times, but our national healthcare system is mobilized and responds promptly to the challenges of this brutal war. This is a time when we are receiving unprecedented support from the entire civilized world. Thanks to our strong cooperation with foreign partners, we are able to resist and repel the aggressor with dignity. However, due to the consequences of war and destruction of medical facilities, the provision of medical care is significantly complicated, so we are extremely grateful to our partners for the opportunity to carry out medical evacuation of injured Ukrainians and send them abroad for specialized treatment and rehabilitation. So far, about 2,500 of our citizens have been evacuated from different regions of Ukraine to clinics in Europe, of whom more than 1,000 are children with cancer,” said Deputy Minister of Health Iryna Mykychak.

It should be noted that the mechanism of evacuation flights has been in place since the beginning of the war. As part of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the European Commission, international partners, jointly with the Ministry’s emergency medical service, provide transportation of patients from a hospital in a frontline area through the Lviv medical hub to an airfield in Poland. Then the patients are picked up by air hospitals or special air transport, which transport them to European countries for specialized treatment.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, through partnership with the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Centre (Lviv), Tabletochki Charity Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, evacuates Ukrainian children with cancer and hematological diseases for treatment in the United States, Canada, and European countries as part of the SAFER Ukraine program.

As per criteria for referral to foreign clinics, adults and children with combined severe mine blast injuries, burns, as well as cancer patients and patients with diseases requiring specialized treatment are usually subject to evacuation.

About 30 partner countries receive our citizens, including: Poland, Germany, Norway, the United States, Latvia, France, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Romania, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Lithuania, Finland, the Czech Republic, Israel, and others.

The Deputy Minister also added that several routes are available to affected Ukrainian citizens have by which they can be sent for treatment.

The Deputy Minister also added that affected Ukrainian citizens have several routes to apply for treatment. The first is through a regional health care facility and a designated person responsible for sending Ukrainian citizens for treatment abroad during martial law or a family doctor.

The second is through the command of the Medical Forces of Ukraine, which also sends a conclusion on the need to refer a patient for treatment and other documents to the Ministry.

The third way is to submit a personal application through the website of the Ministry of Health. The Ministry has introduced this additional option to apply for evacuation because many people do not always have a connection to a family doctor due to hostilities. Seriously ill Ukrainians or those who have been injured as a result of the war can submit a preliminary application for the Medical Evacuation Program on their own. To do this, they should fill out an application on the website of the Ministry of Health in the “For Patients” section.

The Ministry of Health would then verify all the data and check the information, and then give feedback. Patient preparation usually lasts from 3-4 days to 2 weeks, while the Ministry ensures communication with clinics and international partners.

We emphasize that all evacuation flights organized by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the European Commission from the hottest spots to safer regions of Ukraine and referrals for treatment abroad are carried out absolutely free of charge. The costs of the treatment are covered by governments of partner countries.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine expresses its deep gratitude to international partners and friends for their strong support and solidarity with Ukraine in protecting our citizens.