- Every second counts. I’m proud to be part of a team where our work truly saves lives (Andrii Shostak, evacuation crew driver)
- I cannot imagine myself being anywhere else. I need to be here (Natalia Kapitsia, paramedic).
Years of occupation. Thousands of lives lost. Millions of people forced to move. Yet, the violence does not stop.
Almost four years ago the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, carried out by Russia, started. The aftermath of the conflict have been devastating:
–12.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
–3.7 million internally displaced people.
-Infrastructure damaged for an estimated amount of $524 billion in reconstruction cost.
From the very beginning, on February 25th 2022, MOAS has focussed his attention where it was most needed: this is how we started our mission in Ukraine.
The purpose of this new mission was to assist those in need, as well as alleviate the human impact of the conflict, which quickly became a humanitarian crisis. MOAS decided instantly to embark on a new journey with our tactical medical mission, developing a context specific program based on real-time experience and knowledge. Adaptability is at our core, and we have proven ourselves to be steady and ready.
How it all started: Back in Time.
During the first part of the mission (2022), MOAS arrived in the Eastern regions to provide primary healthcare services and to support national health initiatives such as vaccinations.
At the beginning of the conflict, our teams were responsible for the evacuation of chronically ill children and their families, who needed treatment but were trapped in areas of heavy bombardment.
However, with the conflict worsening, MOAS expanded the emergency deployment; in support of the Ukraine Ministry of Health and WHO in emergency medical response in the field and on the front lines. Our teams implemented a system of medical evacuations from the frontlines, including a comprehensive, national, front-line point of injury and trauma care program.
From then on, our team expanded, enabling us to support an increasing number of requests for assistance. With a team of 150 Ukrainian doctors, nurses, anaesthesiologists, and evacuation crew drivers, along with 50 Type C ambulances, MOAS has achieved significant results over these four years of mission.
What are our main achievements in Ukraine? What do our teams do on the front line? Keep reading and dive into our heartfelt story.
Medical Mission: Our Emergency Evacuations
Let’s start from the beginning. What is a “medical evacuation”?
A medical evacuation happens when a patient needs to be extracted from front-line stabilization points and triage bases to a higher level care facilities in more stable locations for onward treatment. At MOAS, we transport the most critical casualties from the frontline with our purpose built ambulances, for urgent care and specialised treatments. Emergency evacuations can happen in any condition of conflict: negotiating drone attacks, under heavy fire, through damaged infrastructure, putting the team, their patients and the vehicles at risk.
The objective of an emergency medical evacuation is to clear injured patients from temporary medical facilities, maintain their medical stability and prevent deterioration of the patient’s conditions during transport to the hospital.
Since the start of our mission, we have never lost a single life in transit. An incredible feat when considering that in the 4 years we’ve been in operation, we have rescued around 110.000 lives, including 81.000 from the frontline.
Our evacuations usually service military personnel, injured on the frontline and in need of specialised and advanced treatments. This self-selection is explained by the specialism offered by our services, which focuses on red-tagged patients in need of intubated, ventilated and sedated transport.
During these years, our teams have never looked away from people in need. To complement the critical care services, MOAS ran a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU), which brought primary healthcare services directly to communities cut off from traditional medical infrastructure. Throughout this initiative, the MMU treated 30.000 civilians, offering vital medical support in eastern oblasts such as Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Sumy.
The success of the MMU project was made possible through strong partnerships with local and international organizations: Ronald McDonald House Charity Latvia (RMHC Latvija) generously donated the Mobile Medical Unit vehicle; the MHP Gromadi Charitable Foundation, a Ukrainian organisation provided essential logistical and material support to MOAS’s operations; through donations and coordination on the ground, the Oksana Dmytriieva Charitable Foundation.
In addition to that, critical medical supplies were donated by the Government of Malta, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism; the donation included infusion solutions, essential medications, and additional supplies.
These partners were instrumental in enabling MOAS to reach vulnerable populations and deliver lifesaving care.
A true reflection of this strong set of values, and biproduct of their selfless nature, is that various members of the MOAS team have also assisted several animals they’ve encountered on the way. One such example was the case of a small puppy that, lost in a desert area, was frightened and ill. Our team chose not to leave it behind and took it in to provide care. On another occasion, one of MOAS’s paramedics, Igor, discovered a puppy trapped deep inside a pipeline while returning home after duty; with the help of other team members, the puppy was rescued and cared for.
Acts of kindness, no matter how small, spread outwards, sustaining hope even in the most difficult situations.
Final thoughts: challenges and our future
This past year has been full of challenges and accomplishments. Between shortage of funds, worsening of the humanitarian scenario and the effects of a long war, it was very hard to continue our mission. Nevertheless, we never stopped fighting, adapting to the changes and always looking forward.
Our mission needs your help to keep going: without the support of our amazing network we couldn’t have been where we are.
Your support can make a difference. Please consider donating to help us continue our missions and save lives. Visit www.moas.eu/donate to contribute. For more updates on our work, follow us on social media, sign up for our newsletter, or contact us at [email protected].
Disclaimer: “Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.”