An EU-funded centre established in Poland for the medical evacuation of Ukrainian patients was officially opened on Thursday, 1 September. The Medevac Hub is located near the city of Rzeszów, which has one of the closest airports to Ukraine (Rzeszów-Jasionka), and is part of the medevac operations undertaken through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, in which the 27 EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, and North Macedonia participate.
This new centre will offer a safe space for Ukrainian patients, who will be able to receive nursing care, screening for diseases, vaccinations, and mental health support before they are flown out for further treatment and care in a hospital in another European country. The evacuation schedule includes two flights per week, offered by Norway.
Alongside the Polish, Ukrainian, and Norwegian health ministers, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič declared at the inauguration ceremony in Poland, “[W]e needed a hub that would take care of these patients while they are waiting for the medical evacuation plane. [...] We can now plan and predict these medical evacuations with greater efficiency and also with greater comfort, especially for the patients themselves.”
Previously, evacuations were done “on the tarmac [...] from the ambulance to the plane”. The commissioner also stated by way of reminder that Poland was already home to a logistical hub through which 60,000 tonnes of aid provided by countries participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism have been delivered to Ukraine (food, medicines, fuel, ambulances, firefighting equipment, seeds, equipment to protect monuments, etc.).
The first medical evacuation of patients from Ukraine took place on 11 March and was for sick Ukrainian children who were being transferred from Poland to Italy (see EUROPE 12965/13 and 12919/9).
To date, the EU has coordinated the medical evacuation of 1,200 Ukrainian patients to hospitals in 18 European countries (17 EU Member States and Norway) so that they can receive specialised medical care. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)