Doctors Without Borders has equipped a train with medical supplies and personnel to evacuate war-wounded people from Ukraine. On the first journey, 26 patients from Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro were transported to hospitals in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. Most required post-operative treatment.   

For some urgent actions, a degree of bureaucracy is still necessary. Hospitals near war zones repeatedly request, through what amounts to "perfectly normal channels," transfers of patients to hospitals located in safer areas of Ukraine. The aim is twofold: to relieve the burden on hospitals in light of the constant influx of wounded, and to ensure that patients receive the best possible medical care.

Since March 31, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been transporting nearly 300 patients from eastern to western Ukraine. The organization had a simple four-car train at its disposal for this purpose. The transported patients included hospital patients, nursing home residents, and orphans who required medical care during the journey.

The new train now has eight carriages and can transport around 36 patients at once. Its equipment includes an intensive care carriage, oxygen supplies, and a generator that provides power to all the medical equipment.

“We know there is an increased need for help, as we are receiving more and more requests. This is a new and technically very advanced project, the likes of which MSF has never used before,” Burton continued.

The smaller train will also remain in service. Family members of patients can travel on both trains.

“Our task now is to work with the health authorities to find out which hospitals are most in need of evacuation, and then to respond to their calls for help as quickly as possible,” said Burton.

www.msf.ch