Wounded soldiers from Ukraine to Norway
Press release | No: 82 – 2022 | Date: 01/06/2022 | Ministry of Justice and Public Security
The Norwegian Government has decided to bring wounded soldiers from Ukraine to Norway for medical evacuation and treatment at Norwegian hospitals.
‘Norway is already one of the largest contributors to the medical evacuation scheme for civilians from the war in Ukraine. The Norwegian Government has now decided that wounded soldiers may also be brought to Norway,’ says Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl.
It will be possible to bring wounded soldiers to Norway as part of the country’s efforts under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). This will be within the frame of 550 patients through the Medevac programme that had previously been agreed.
‘Norway has no experience with medical evacuation of wounded soldiers from ongoing conflicts. We have had to ensure that the rules allow the inclusion of wounded soldiers in the medical evacuation programme,’ says Ms Mehl.
In Norway, extensive expertise on the treatment of burns, trauma and rehabilitation can be found at Bergen Hospital Trust, Oslo University Hospital Trust and Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted Norway's unique expertise in these areas in his address to the Storting.