Ukrainian EMS Sector Continues to Withstand Russian Aggression

The Ukrainian emergency doctors and paramedics continue to faithfully perform their duties amid the conditions of the military conflict with Russia and the massive bombings of the majority of cities of the country.  

After February 24, 2022, all the hospitals and emergency medical stations in Ukraine have been working in an emergency mode, while the number of paramedics who left the service after the beginning of the war is insignificant.  

Probably the biggest pressure in Ukraine is currently put on paramedics, working in the country’s capital Kiev, and other large cities of the country, which usually become a subject of Russian attacks.  

A Rise In Emergency Calls

According to Kyiv regional authorities, on average, there are about 500 emergency calls per day in the city, compared to 2,000 prior to February 24, 2022. The decline is mainly due to the evacuation of the population, as well as the growth of awareness of local citizens, which led to the decline of false calls.  

In general, the number of emergency calls in Ukraine in recent months has declined by several times, compared to the pandemic times.  

As Radio Shevchenko, Director of the Dnipro Regional Center of Medical Catastrophe Radio Shevchenko told in an interview with the Ukrainian Vgorode business paper, in accordance with the order with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, emergency medics in Dnipro (another large city of Ukraine) and its region have the right not to go out for some calls during the war, dealing with only critical and emergency calls, however, most of the paramedics still try to go on the majority of important calls, primarily to elderly people. 

Radiy Shevchenko said that COVID-19 calls at present account for only 1% of the total number of calls to Dnepr EMS.

If last October they reached 430 per day (plus SARS, and pneumonia), now on average about 10 people treat COVID a day, of which we send 8-9 to the hospital. They don't have severe cases. And this problem is not relevant at all now,” he said. 

At the same time, Evgeniy Matias, a paramedic of the Ukranian Chernivtsi Regional Center of Emergency Medical Assistance and Medical Disaster, said in an interview with the Ukranian News. un paper after February 24 2022 the number of emergency calls associated with the stressful events of the ongoing war, such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes has increased by several times.

According to Vladimir Tishchenko, director of the Kyiv Center of Emergency Medical Care, despite the fact that during the war at least four paramedics of the Kyiv emergency service suffered, the number of ambulance crews in the city has not changed — 170 are on duty during the day, 145 at night.

As a rule, ambulance crews do not go to patients during the times of air alert and directly to places of hostilities.

Providing Care Amid Danger  

In the meantime, almost a similar situation is observed in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and its former capital.  

As Maksim Haustov, director of the Department of Health Care of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said emergency medical teams continue to work around the clock and go out on calls even amid the fire.

According to him, only a strong fire from Russians can prevent paramedics from reaching the patient, and that's not always the case. 

Maksim Haustov comments: 

"Now there are 178 brigades working in the city and the region. Our emergency medical vehicles are stationed all over the city, each in its own position. They do not return to the base, so they reach the patient in 2-3 minutes, maximum 5 minutes." 

The existing threat of nuclear attack from Russia has forced the Ukranian EMS to take some measures to be better prepared for such attacks.  

As Igor Kuzin, Chief Public Health Officer of Ukraine told in an interview with the Ukranian ZN UA business paper, as of now about 10% of emergency medicine crews in Ukraine have been retrained and reformatted to provide assistance in case of chemical, biological, and nuclear hazards. 

Igor Kuzin says, "We are talking about specially equipped brigades, which have either antidotes, suits, or means of individual protection to help victims in the defeat zone."

Loss Within Ukraine's EMS Field 

According to most Ukrainian experts in the field of EMS, while the work of the Ukrainian EMS is constantly improving, there are also serious losses of people, associated with their service amid the conditions of war.  

According to earlier statements, made by the Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, 18 doctors were killed, and another 56 were injured. Also, 884 healthcare facilities were damaged, and 123 were completely destroyed. About 87 emergency vehicles were destroyed with another 241 being captured. 

Representatives of Dnepr EMS said that in –«accordance with statistics, a significant part of attacks occurred at night time, so we are on duty at night as well. Usually, we hear the explosions or someone from the emergency services informs us». 

At the same time, one of the reasons for the current efficient work of Ukrainian EMS is also related to its active support by Western partners. This is reflected by the active supplies of drugs, medical equipment, expendables, and ambulances for the needs of Ukranian EMS. In the latter case, as daily losses of the Ukrainian EMS, as a result of military actions, are estimated at more than 10 ambulances in recent months many Western countries have significantly increased the supplies of its ambulances to Ukraine.

Probably one of the biggest batches of such vehicles was transferred to Ukraine by the UK Venari Group. These were about 20 armored ambulances, which were built on the basis of decommissioned and re-equipped British light army trucks. According to the producer, the armor of these vehicles can withstand hits from light small arms, they are designed to transport several wounded at once, and they can even drive on punctured tires. 

Recently the Minister of Defense of Spain Margarita Robles said the company also transferred several ambulances for the needs of the Ukranian EMS. Most of these ambulances will probably work in the Ukrainian capital – the city of Kyiv.