From Kharkiv to Poland in 3 hours: Medical evacuation by planes and helicopters of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine will be resumed

Ukraine will resume medical evacuation of patients by air transport by the State Emergency Service. This will allow for faster transportation of seriously ill patients between hospitals and for sending Ukrainians for treatment abroad.

This was reported by the Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky.

The government has already approved the procedure for organizing such flights. The mechanism is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

The air transport will transport patients who urgently need specialized medical care. It will also be used to evacuate Ukrainians abroad, in particular under the “Medevac Ukraine” program.

For example, the journey from Kharkiv to the evacuation hub in Rzeszów (Poland) currently takes 15-16 hours by land. By plane, this journey can be covered in 2-3 hours.

In addition to patients, planes will be able to transport donor organs for transplantation, medical teams, and necessary equipment.

The evacuation will be organized by a special emergency medical care center of the Ministry of Health. The State Emergency Service will provide planes, helicopters, and crews. The security situation and weather conditions will be taken into account during the flights.

Aeromedical evacuation in Ukraine has worked before. In 2021, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched a pilot project in Kyiv and Lviv regions.

In January 2022 alone, medical helicopters made 42 flights, but after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the work of civil aviation was significantly limited due to threats to flight safety.

• In October this year, the government also launched a pilot project under which medicines, donor organs, and blood samples will be transported in Ukraine by drones.

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