180 evacuation flights were made to bring Ukrainians affected by the war abroad for treatment

Such flights have been taking place on a weekly basis since April 2022. The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the European Commission and partners, organizes medical evacuations for affected Ukrainians for specialized treatment in European clinics. Medical evacuation and further treatment abroad is free of charge for patients.

Due to the damaged infrastructure and active hostilities in certain territories of Ukraine, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to treat such patients. Therefore, affected citizens are transported to EU clinics for treatment and/or rehabilitation. A total of 180 medical evacuations have already been organized.

Each case of evacuation is individual and is considered separately. Patient preparation usually lasts from 3-4 days to 2 weeks, and the Ministry ensures communication with clinics and international partners.

The algorithm works as follows: the Ministry of Health of Ukraine submits a request for evacuation and receives offers from various EU member states and the European Economic Area regarding their readiness to receive patients and provide them with the necessary treatment. The Ministry of Health then contacts the receiving country and agrees on the stages and routes of safe medical transportation.

International partners, in cooperation with the emergency medical service of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, provide transportation of patients from a hospital in the frontline area through the Lviv medical hub to the airfield in Poland. Then the baton is picked up by air hospitals.

To date, more than 30 countries have already accepted Ukrainians for treatment, including Germany, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and others.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center (Lviv), Tabletochki Charitable Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, USA), the government of Poland and other countries, provides medical evacuation of Ukrainian children with oncological and hematological diseases for treatment in Europe, the United States and Canada as part of the SAFER Ukraine program. Since the beginning of the war, more than 550 Ukrainian children with cancer have been evacuated for highly specialized treatment abroad via regular convoys.

In total, as part of the cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the European Commission, with the support of the WHO, the Polish government and many international partners, about 4,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated by specialized medical transport from different cities of Ukraine to foreign clinics.

We would like to remind you that there are several routes by which the affected citizens of Ukraine can be transferred for treatment abroad, including:

• through the regional health department;
• by submitting a personal application through the website of the Ministry of Health in the “Citizens” section;
• for military personnel – by applying for evacuation abroad through the command of the Medical Forces of Ukraine. More information is available on the website: https://navigator.pryncyp.com/stage-4.

For more information on how Ukrainians affected by the war can get treatment in foreign clinics, follow the link.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to international partners and colleagues for their powerful assistance and solidarity with Ukraine in this difficult time.