Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, close to 7,000 Ukrainians — civilians and military personnel alike — have been evacuated for specialist medical care abroad through MEDEVAC Ukraine, a programme coordinated by Ukraine’s Ministry of Health in partnership with the European Union and with technical support from the World Health Organization.
The programme, launched in April 2022, connects patients who require treatment unavailable or limited in Ukraine due to the war — including trauma surgery, oncology, burn care, prosthetics, and rehabilitation — with medical facilities in partner countries. As of May 2026, 6,710 Ukrainian patients had been sent for care to clinics across 33 countries, with Germany, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, and Poland receiving the largest numbers.
Evacuation routes run from the treating facility through Lviv, then onward by ambulance or medical aircraft — typically via Rzeszów, Poland — to receiving hospitals abroad.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health coordinates each case through an Emergency Response Coordination Centre staffed by 32 specialists, who compile and verify patient documentation and match requests to capacity in partner countries.
Transportation and treatment costs are covered by the governments of receiving states. Nearly 4,000 patients who completed treatment abroad have already returned to Ukraine and are continuing their care within the national health system.
Eligible patients include:
- those with mine-blast, shrapnel, or bullet injuries;
- people who lost access to care due to destruction of health infrastructure;
- oncology patients meeting functional status criteria; children with rare diseases;
- others requiring highly specialised procedures unavailable domestically.
Referral is initiated by the patient’s attending physician, who prepares and submits the documentation package.
The programme covers both active military and veterans as well as civilians. In 2025 alone, 1,230 Ukrainians received care abroad, including more than 200 veterans who underwent rehabilitation.
Source: Ministry of Health of Ukraine