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The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has had devastating consequences for the health-care system. Keeping essential and resilient health services up and running in the country is a herculean task. Despite the heroic efforts of health-care staff treating patients close to the frontline, those in need of specialized treatment have to be treated in more centrally located hospitals or, in some cases, outside of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Health coordinates medical evacuation (medevac) operations, which involve hundreds of daily patient transfers inside the country and dozens of cross-border transfers each week. This includes the European Union (EU) medevac pathway which has been running since the full-scale invasion began.

Thanks to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, more than 2350 Ukrainian patients have been transferred to hospitals in 21 European countries. The patients suffer from severe war wounds or conditions that cannot currently be easily treated inside Ukraine, such as cancers requiring specialized treatments and conditions necessitating rehabilitation support. Over 370 patients have requested and been supported to return to Ukraine once the acute phase of their treatment has ended.

On 22June, WHO/Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark, hosted the launch of an 18-month project funded by the European Commissions Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) entitled Strengthening the Ukrainian Ministry of Health accountability framework for medical evacuation and repatriation systems and services.

The project will help the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to further develop and formalize the procedures of their dedicated Medevac Coordination Unit, particularly the new efforts being made to ensure the safe return of patients who have finished acute treatment abroad and wish to continue rehabilitation in their home country.

The new project will provide technical and resource support to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the Medevac Coordination Unit and the Emergency Medical Services. Targeted expertise and specialist service support include burns care, multidisciplinary war trauma surgical care, and critical care patient transfers and rehabilitation inside Ukraine, which will strengthen the trauma care systems and pathways.

Health-care staff in Ukraine will also benefit from training, including shoulder-to-shoulder and bedside teaching approaches, which will strengthen their ability to manage complex health-care cases in Ukraine.

Medical evacuations are an essential part of the EUs emergency support to Ukraine, commented MrPeter M.Wagner, Head of the FPI. Russias full-scale invasion leaves military and civilians heavily wounded while also ruining health-care infrastructure. In coordination with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, our new project will further help alleviate the pressure on Ukraines health-care system, helping evacuated patients to return and integrate into national rehabilitation schemes, while also supporting provision of the best possible care for patients.

The event also served as the first meeting of the steering committee working collaboratively with all stakeholders involved in medevac and repatriation activities managed by the Ministry of Healths Medevac Coordination Unit. The meeting was attended by representatives from all implementing partners and institutions to present their roles in the project and strengthen working relationships to ensure successful implementation of the activities.

Medevac remains an essential component of the humanitarian effort to meet the health needs of patients who cannot be treated inside Ukraine at this moment, explained DrGerald Rockenschaub, WHO Regional Emergency Director for Europe.

Safe transfer of patients across borders requires all partners to work together effectively and efficiently to ensure that people can get the lifesaving treatment they desperately need. We welcome this opportunity to build on our relationship with our partners, both in the EU and other institutions.

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European Union and WHO join forces to further strengthen medical ... - World Health Organization