EU Medevac Hub, a medical relocation facility that will prepare wounded Ukrainians to be transported to other European countries for treatment, was opened in south-eastern Poland on Thursday.
“Ukraine will not be left alone in its fight against the Russian aggressor,” Adam Niedzielski, the Polish health minister, said at the opening ceremony.
“We’ll take care of the patients so that it (Ukraine – ed.) can continue its fight for freedom,” Niedzielski added.
Minister @a_niedzielski: Medevac Hub Jasionka powstał, aby pomagać obywatelom . Ukraina nie pozostanie sama w walce z rosyjskim agresorem. Zajmujemy się pacjentami, aby mogła prowadzić walkę o wolność. pic.twitter.com/IhfsyDVEXw
— Ministerstwo Zdrowia (@MZ_GOV_PL) September 1, 2022
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, tweeted on Thursday: “The new EU Medevac Hub will play a key role in swiftly transferring patients to hospitals across Europe.”
The ceremony was also attended by Niedzielski’s Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Liashko, and the EU’s crisis management commissioner, Janez Lenarcic.
About 1,200 Ukrainian patients have been relocated to other EU countries thanks to the mechanism, according to the Polish minister.
The EU Medevac Hub is located in the village of Jasionka near Rzeszów in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. Jasionka also hosts an airport from where the patients will be flown to European hospitals twice a week. Eighteen EU member states have agreed to offer medical treatment to wounded Ukrainians.