Almost 4,000 Ukrainians sent for treatment abroad through Polish evacuation hub in Rzeszow

Poland remains a reliable partner of Ukraine in medical evacuation of affected Ukrainians, educational and expert assistance to Ukraine, and continues to actively cooperate in the field of public health.

On September 26, First Deputy Minister of Health Serhii Dubrov met with Polish Minister of Health Katarzyna Sojka. This is the first meeting between the Minister and representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ukraine Vasyl Zvarych, and the First Secretary of the Embassy Mykola Granovskyi.

“We thank the Polish government and the entire Polish people for the support you have been providing us in all areas since the beginning of the full-scale war. Poland is a constant reliable partner, ally and friend of Ukraine. Even after a year and a half of full-scale war, Poland continues to provide shelter to Ukrainians, organize medical care in medical institutions and help treat the wounded,” said Serhii Dubrov.

The First Deputy Minister also discussed the work of aeromedical evacuation and the evacuation hub in Rzeszow, Poland. So far, nearly 4,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated under the medical evacuation program, the vast majority through the Polish evacuation hub.

The evacuation hub in Rzeszow was opened in the autumn of 2022. The main function of the hub is to temporarily accommodate Ukrainians who are being transported to European countries for treatment and/or rehabilitation. In this center, patients are provided with care and necessary assistance around the clock, including diagnostics, vaccinations, and psychological support, if necessary. The project is funded by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and is part of a broader medical evacuation program launched by the EU earlier this year.

The parties also discussed the implementation of the Polish government’s program to transfer a part of the updated fleet of emergency vehicles from Polish medical institutions to Ukrainian ones, both civilian and military.

The parties also summarized the results of their joint activities and outlined the prospects for cooperation.

It should be recalled that earlier, the course “Training of Emergency Medical Services in Ukraine” was launched in Kyiv. The course was organized in cooperation with the Warsaw Medical University and the Polish Medical Air Ambulance in Modlin (Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe in Modlin).