The Ministry of Health of Ukraine together with the European Commission continue to organize evacuation flights for affected Ukrainian citizens to clinics in Europe.

This week, a group of 12 civilians and military were evacuated from the eastern regions of Ukraine and other areas of active hostilities. Cancer patients from Odesa, Vinnytsia, Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions were evacuated as well. They all have been sent for specialized treatment in the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia.

Typically, people affected by the military aggression of russia are evacuated: adults and children with complex mine blast injuries; patients with diseases that cannot currently be treated in Ukraine or require specialized treatment.

It is worth mentioning that international partners in cooperation with the Emergency Medical Service of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine arrange transportation of patients from hospitals in the frontline area through a medical hub in Lviv to an airfield in Poland. Then air hospitals or special air transport transfer Ukrainians to European countries for specialized treatment.

Evacuation of civilians is carried out through an emergency response system of the European Union, whereby a specialized clinic for the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainians is promptly sought in one of the EU countries. The so-called “medical convoys” are an example of one of the effective ways to rescue patients, with the Ministry of Health submitting a request for evacuation and receiving proposals from different member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area. Then the Ministry contacts the clinic and agrees on steps and routes of safe medical transportation.

It should be noted that within the framework of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the European Commission, with the support of the WHO, the Government of Poland and many international partners, a total of 2,354 Ukrainians have been evacuated by specialized medical transport from different regions of Ukraine to foreign clinics since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The Ministry of Health together with partners continues its efforts and does everything possible to save people and provide them with the necessary medical care.