The Ministry of Health and partners evacuated more than 4 thousand injured Ukrainians for treatment in foreign clinics

The evacuation flights, organized as part of the cooperation between the Ministry of Health, the European Commission and partners, have been going on for more than a year and a half. The evacuations are aimed at Ukrainian citizens in need of specialized treatment and further rehabilitation.

In total, the cooperation has already helped to send 3,397 Ukrainians abroad for treatment and/or rehabilitation. Among them, there are patients with mine-blast wounds, cancer patients and people with chronic diseases. Another 650 patients are injured children with traumas and cancer.

Transportation of patients from Ukrainian medical institutions to the medical evacuation hub in Poland is provided by the transport medical teams of the regional emergency medical care and disaster medicine centers, medical cars of Ukrzaliznytsia, the team of Doctors Without Borders, as well as paramedic teams from European countries contracted by WHO. For more details on the medical evacuation algorithm, please follow the link.

The following are sent to the foreign clinics:

• patients with injuries requiring tertiary (highly specialized) medical care;
• patients in need of combustiology care (in case of burns);
• children with neoplasms requiring highly specialized medical care;
• adult patients with neoplasms requiring highly specialized medical care;
• children with orphan diseases.

The family doctor or attending physician must decide to send the patient for treatment abroad, guided by the Order of the Ministry of Health No. 574 of 05.04.2022 “On Approval of the Criteria for Sending Citizens of Ukraine for Treatment Abroad for the Period of Martial Law and the List of Healthcare Institutions Coordinating the Sending of Citizens of Ukraine for Treatment Abroad for the Period of Martial Law”.

Compliance with the criteria is confirmed through primary accounting documentation No. 027/о “Extract from the medical record of an outpatient (inpatient) patient”. It must be filled out by a doctor of a healthcare institution that coordinates the referral of Ukrainian citizens for treatment abroad.

During a medical evacuation, a patient must have an identity document — a foreign or domestic passport. Extracts from medical records are also required (in particular, for children).

Please also note that each case of medical evacuation is individual and requires a separate approach, but usually, the preparation of a patient lasts from 3-4 days to 2 weeks. In case of need for outside help and support due to a serious condition or the need for further postoperative care, the patient may be accompanied by relatives or friends.

Today, Ukrainian citizens can use several routes of medical evacuation for treatment abroad:

• through the regional health department;
• by submitting a personal application through the Ministry of Health website 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.

It should be recalled that evacuation flights organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the European Commission and transportation for treatment abroad are free of charge for patients. All expenses for expensive treatment are covered by the governments of the partner countries that receive Ukrainian patients.