EMS Around the World: Ukraine’s EMS Mobilizes Foreign Partners to Secure Ambulances Amid Ongoing War

As Ukraine is advancing through its second year of Russian invasion, the country’s EMS system continues to be upheld by donations of ambulances from a variety of foreign partners. These include major international actors such as the US and the European Union (EU) which recently partnered to donate a further 33 ambulances to the Ukrainian Health Ministry. These include 20 type A1 and 13 type C vehicles.

Last spring, the European External Action Service (EEAS), which serves as the EU’s diplomatic service, announced that the 27-member-strong bloc acted with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hand over the vehicles in Lviv, in Ukraine’s western part. The donation was intended to facilitate the provision of emergency medical care to patients during the ongoing war, the EEAS said in a statement.

“The availability of ambulances is a priority to reduce mortality from emergency situations and mass casualty events. By providing these emergency vehicles, we pursue the goal of ensuring adequate conditions to provide urgent medical care and to further improve emergency response practices in Ukraine,” said Jarno Habicht, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine.

“The purpose of this donation is to further enhance the timeliness and quality of health services provided by national emergency medical services and this further strengthens the capacity of Ukraine’s health system in leading the activation and coordination of this response in the immediate aftermath of any emergency,” according to the official.

Joint EU and US donation of ambulances for non-critical patient transportation

The donation included 20 Type A1 ambulances fitted with a stretcher and first aid equipment.

“A further 13 type C ambulances, equipped with patient ventilators, oxygen supply, IV pumps, suction pumps, stretchers, medication bags, will allow for the transportation of seriously injured patients to health facilities,” the EEAS said.

The vehicles are intended for non-critical transportation of patients, and they have been delivered to hospitals and emergency medical centers throughout the country, with a particular focus on Ukraine’s eastern part which has been particularly impacted by the Russian invasion.

James Hope, who serves as the USAID/Ukraine Mission Director, said that the “ambulances, co-funded by the United States and the European Union, will help Ukraine’s emergency workers respond to crises on the ground” and they constitute just one example of how USAID assistance helps Ukraine meet urgent needs created by Russia’s brutal war. We will continue partnering with the European Union, WHO, and other partners to provide Ukraine with life-saving support.”

Since 24 February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale military attack against Ukraine, a total of 56 ambulances have been donated to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health of Ukraine by the WHO and its international network of partners.

Commenting on the joint US-EU donation, Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s Minister of Health, said that, despite “all the odds, we work together to provide Ukrainians with high-quality, affordable, and free medical help. Soon, we will send 33 ambulances to the regions where they are needed and will help our brave medics to save people's lives.”

Non-state partners ramp up efforts to deliver ambulances to Ukraine

At the same time, a rising number of non-state partners are ramping up their support to the Ukrainian EMS. On June 13, US Ambulances for Ukraine, an Illinois-based initiative, marked the delivery of its 50th ambulance to Ukraine.

“Just a quick update. Today we officially received our 50th ambulance! This effort started with one ambulance donated and flown to Ukraine on March 29, 2022,” the initiative’s founders tweeted.

A month earlier, US Ambulances for Ukraine informed its supporters that a batch of 16 vehicles filled with medical supplies was en route to Ukraine, bringing the total of US ambulances dispatched to the country to 38.

United24, Ukraine’s main fundraising platform, has so far facilitated the delivery of 191 ambulances to boost the nation’s EMS capacities amid the ongoing war, according to figures the platform released in mid-June.

The war has triggered a global push to collect funds for the Ukrainian healthcare system, with numerous institutional and individual donors from across the globe joining the effort. Last year, a fundraising initiative kicked off by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska brought in about $6.5 million. The funds enabled the nation to purchase more than 60 type C ambulances, according to data from United24.

Earlier this year, a further 43 ambulances were bought with funds raised via the platform. The type C vehicles were purchased for close to $3.5 million.

“These vehicles are equipped with everything needed to transport the severely injured to a hospital: oxygen tanks, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, ECGs, and ALV devices,” United24 said in a statement. 
 
In total, Ukraine’s Health Ministry “has purchased 133 automobiles. The need for these ambulances is high because over 400 automobiles have been damaged or captured by the Russian military.”

Jaroslaw Adamowski is a freelance writer based in Warsaw, Poland. He covers various developments related to European EMS across the continent.