A new Medical Transit Center (MTC) has opened at Poland’s Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport.
Operating under the auspices of the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO), an emergency medical team from the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM) will run the facility for the sick and injured from Ukraine.
The facility, which consists of two halls, has 20 beds waiting for patients leaving Ukraine for treatment in the EU – and elsewhere in Europe – and 30 places for their family members. In addition, there are a second 20 beds for patients and 20 places for family members for patients returning to Ukraine after treatment. All medical evacuations will be carried out within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism – a platform for countries to work together to prepare for, prevent and respond to natural or man-made disasters. In addition to the 27 EU countries, the system also includes the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.
Patients from Ukraine staying at the MTC will be taken twice a week by plane to other European countries for treatment. More than 1,200 Ukrainian patients have already been sent to countries in western Europe.
‘I am pleased that PCPM has been selected by the European Commission, the World Health Organization and the Ministries of Health of Poland and Ukraine as a partner to run the MTC. Our task is to provide adequate care to patients who travel from Rzeszow Airport for treatment in European Union countries,” said PCPM president Wojciech Wilk.
“In the MTC, we have prepared 20 beds for patients and additional places for their family members. Medical evacuation planes can only stay on the Rzeszow Airport tarmac for about an hour, making it necessary to gather all the patients in one place so that the loading of passengers can take place efficiently and quickly.”
Funded with money from the European Union, the Medevac Hub Jasionka Medical Transit Center near Rzeszow will initially operate for six months – until February 2023
The PCPM Emergency Medical Team is the first and only medical team of its kind in Poland and this part of Europe certified by the WHO as a so-called Type 1 Emergency Medical Team – EMT. It is one of seven such teams in the world operating at non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Image: PCPM
