{"id":587798,"date":"2023-08-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/on-the-polish-border-with-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care\/"},"modified":"2023-08-20T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T10:00:00","slug":"on-the-polish-border-with-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/on-the-polish-border-with-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care\/","title":{"rendered":"#On the Polish border with Ukraine, war wounded find refuge, care"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413b48c0897\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413b48c0897\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/on-the-polish-border-with-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care\/#From_warehouse_to_field_hospital\" >From warehouse to field hospital<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/on-the-polish-border-with-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care\/#Patients_from_across_Ukraine\" >Patients from across Ukraine<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>RZESZ\u00d3W, Poland \u2014 On any given day, the medical staff treating Ukraine\u2019s wounded and sick in the Polish border town of Rzesz\u00f3w must prepare for the unexpected.<\/p>\n<p>The emergency medical hub, a temporary installation set up outside of Rzesz\u00f3w\u2019s small airport, is a critical transit point for Ukrainians who can\u2019t be treated in their own hospitals and must be evacuated to Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>They cross Poland\u2019s border from Ukraine by ambulance and arrive with battle injuries: gunshot and shrapnel wounds; spinal injuries; amputated limbs; bodies suffering from the effects of explosive blasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Adam Szyska, head of operations for the medical hub, describes them as \u201cvictims of war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The patients are soldiers and civilians. But Szyska says they treat everyone the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor us, they are people in pajamas, they are patients,\u201d he explains, giving me a tour of the \u201cMedevac Hub,\u201d a cavernous warehouse \u2014 about 21,500 square feet \u2014<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>that was transformed in September 2022 by the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM), to act as a hospital emergency room at the closest point to Ukraine\u2019s border.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a temporary but critical stopover for Ukraine\u2019s war wounded before continuing on for advanced treatment in hospitals across Europe, largely evacuated by plane from Rzesz\u00f3w\u2019s airport.<\/p>\n<p>The influx of medical staff came following U.S., European and NATO forces converging on the small town and airport to streamline weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Patriot missile batteries dot the landscape to protect cargo shipments.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>President Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed to Rzesz\u00f3w in a surprise visit in March 2022, the closest he could get to Ukraine\u2019s border in the first few weeks of Russia\u2019s war. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2022\/03\/25\/remarks-by-president-biden-during-visit-with-service-members-of-the-82nd-airborne-division\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2022\/03\/25\/remarks-by-president-biden-during-visit-with-service-members-of-the-82nd-airborne-division\/\">He met with<\/a> humanitarian workers and the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division based at the airport.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The hub was born out of an agreement between Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Health, the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization to facilitate medical evacuations for Ukrainians unable to get treatment in the country because of unprecedented attacks by Russia on health infrastructure.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"933\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_13_03285-e1692381324878.jpg?w=900\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4158867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_13_03285-e1692381324878.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_13_03285-e1692381324878.jpg?resize=876,583 876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A medical professional with the Polish Center for International Aid evaluates a Ukrainian patient transiting through the Medevac Hub in Rzesz\u00f3w, Poland, while a family member looks on. (Courtesy Mariusz Ciszewski)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The WHO said in May it had recorded more than 1,000\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/europe\/news\/item\/30-05-2023-who-records-1-000th-attack-on-health-care-in-ukraine-over-the-past-15-months-of-full-scale-war\">Russian attacks on Ukrainian health facilities<\/a>, including to hospitals and clinics; transportation; personnel and warehouses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>That number is likely far higher today and is a key part of Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s strategy to make life unlivable for civilians in Ukraine, straining their resources and the support from the international community.<\/p>\n<p>Szyska is upbeat and energetic on the day I arrive. We have about 45 minutes to tour the space and he is diligent in following the path of a patient, to the parking lot where the ambulances arrive from Ukraine, for patients coming into Europe, or from the airport for those heading back to their homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTime to time we do have something like 20 ambulances, waiting in the line, like two rows and our [triage] officer is taking patients from the ambulances and deciding who is going to the hub,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe are doing something like first triage: We are checking in, a quick assessment of the patient, what kind of condition do they have, and what do we have to do? Sometimes the patients are totally exhausted after travel, or sometimes they need extra services; sometimes it\u2019s only a meal, just the toilet, but sometimes it\u2019s pain relief therapy. So we are trying to provide some kind of service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Szyska is a veteran emergency responder with PCPM, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that provides humanitarian and development assistance across the world. They have a roster of around 150 emergency medical staff who have deployed across the world in response to crises or natural disasters, working in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_warehouse_to_field_hospital\"><\/span>From warehouse to field hospital<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>He said PCPM received a call in mid-August 2022 to set up the Medevac Hub, and he was tasked with transforming an empty warehouse into a temporary medical facility.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The staff knew how to set up emergency medical sites in challenging places, but a medical evacuation hub was new, and there was no clear blueprint for the space.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They settled on an open-space design, with two corridors of 20 \u201ccubes\u201d \u2014 sectioned-off squares separated by drapes that allow for a private room for a patient to be evaluated. The cubes are big enough to seat one or two family members, so the installation, in total, can welcome about 50 extra people at a time.<\/p>\n<p>There is a second room with an identical setup that is used as a \u201cPlan B,\u201d or backup, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>A \u201cduty station\u201d for medical staff is positioned in an area of the floor to have a 360-degree view of the installation and eyes on the cubes. The daily staff includes a physician, two nurses, and two paramedics who stand by, ready to receive a call at any time that a patient is inbound.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_14_03539-e1692381278191.jpg?w=900\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4158870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_14_03539-e1692381278191.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_XT5_2023_06_14_03539-e1692381278191.jpg?resize=876,493 876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The \u2018duty station\u2019 of the Medevac Hub in Rzesz\u00f3w, Poland, where a team of five medical professionals has a 360-degree view of the installation, and eyes on patient rooms, called \u2018cubes,\u2019 during their temporary stay. (Courtesy Mariusz Ciszewski)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Szyska says that the day-to-day operations of the hub must be flexible to respond to the unpredictable nature of Russia\u2019s war.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne day is more calm, and another day we can observe the increasing number of evacuations. For example, today we are in standby mode, so we are waiting for a call \u2014 hopefully never going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>After patients are stabilized at the hub, they are transferred to the airport, where they are flown out on commercial planes provided by Scandinavian Airlines, refurbished to carry medical patients. The airline conducts two medevac flights per week.<\/p>\n<p>Norway\u2019s\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.regjeringen.no\/en\/aktuelt\/norway-extends-agreement-on-medical-evacuation-from-ukraine2\/id2989851\/\">government announced<\/a>\u00a0in July it would extend the medical evacuation operation until February.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As of mid-August, more than 2,500 patients have been transferred for treatment to 21 countries, according to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which funds the Medevac Hub.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can say proudly that this is the first, and so far only, medevac in Europe working like this,\u201d Szyska says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s quiet on the day I visited in mid-August. A wheelchair-bound Ukrainian man, who looks to be in his mid-40s, speaks quietly with a Ukrainian psychologist. Szyska says the man is preparing to go back home.<\/p>\n<p>They sit in the area designated as a \u201clibrary,\u201d\u00a0which is just a collection of tables and chairs to the side of the large, open room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe it\u2019s not something huge, but for us, it\u2019s very important,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are Polish books in Ukrainian and Ukrainian books in Polish. Szyska says it\u2019s important to give people an alternative to their smartphones, but the idea is also to serve as a bridge between the two cultures, for both the patients and the Polish staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Patients_from_across_Ukraine\"><\/span>Patients from across Ukraine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The patients come from all over Ukraine, having traveled either a few hours or a few days. From cities on the front line of fighting in the east, or what is considered the comparatively safer west.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But safety is relative. Russia on Tuesday\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-lviv-missile-attack-76106ea15cb7acd543e506039f64baf9\">unleashed a barrage of missile attacks<\/a>\u00a0across Ukraine. In the Ukrainian city of Lviv \u2014 about a three-hour train ride to Rzesz\u00f3w \u2014 19 people were wounded, including a 10-year-old child, in the attacks, while three people were killed in Lutsk, north of Lviv.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is on top of Russia\u2019s pummeling attacks on targets that are closer in range to its dug-in positions in the east and south. In Kherson,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ukraine-kherson-region-shelling-deaths-family-baby\/\">a Ukrainian family<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 including a 3-week-old baby and a 12-year-old boy \u2014 were killed in ongoing Russian attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The day before, the hub had 22 people inside; 16 were \u201cvictims of war,\u201d two were cancer patients and four were family members.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo we are not only ready to provide evacuation or repatriation, but \u2026 this extra space is created to receive an increasing number of patients, if we\u2019re going to expect an unpredictable number of refugees, where inside will be the unpredictable number of wounded people,\u201d Szyska said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Szyska sees so many more needs that he wants to address. The Medevac Hub is only one project of PCPM helping Ukraine\u2019s war wounded and refugees. This month, Taiwan donated $4 million to support PCPM\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pcpm.org.pl\/4-million-donated-by-taiwan-will-support-projects-implemented-by-pcpm-in-ukraine.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/pcpm.org.pl\/4-million-donated-by-taiwan-will-support-projects-implemented-by-pcpm-in-ukraine.html\">reconstruction work in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Poland, PCPM has set up centers to help Ukrainian refugees find work and create extra educational and recreational centers for children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Szyska describes finding funding to provide support beyond the medevac hub as always a challenge. The responsibility of the hub is to receive patients and prepare them for transport to another location.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if this patient has to stay long period in the hospital like two or three months, someone needs to help the family stay in this country,\u201d he says, listing out all the challenges that tally up beyond the scope of the hub\u2019s duties \u2014 helping the families of patients secure housing, transportation, work, and school for the kids.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are trying to find some donors who are helping us to provide these things, which are a challenge \u2026 as PCPM we are creating many different programs to provide them support during this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>How long is Medevac going to be here?<\/p>\n<p>Szyska lets out a big sigh. \u201cI have no idea. Seriously. I have no idea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That too is unpredictable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/international\/4158821-polish-border-ukraine-war-wounded-find-refuge-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RZESZ\u00d3W, Poland \u2014 On any given day, the medical staff treating Ukraine\u2019s wounded and sick in the Polish border town of Rzesz\u00f3w must prepare for the unexpected. The emergency medical hub, a temporary installation set up outside of Rzesz\u00f3w\u2019s small airport, is a critical transit point for Ukrainians who can\u2019t be treated in their own&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":587799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/M_Cieszewski_2023_06_13_03834-e1692381381155.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134343,134353,124783,991,115,134904,134845],"class_list":["post-587798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-campaign","tag-court-battles","tag-international","tag-joe-biden","tag-news","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-ukraine-aid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}