EU funds 25 ambulances to improve access to healthcare in Ukraine

Today, 25 new ambulances funded by the EU were donated by Solidarity Fund Poland in partnership with the BGK (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego) - the Polish development bank - to regional hospitals in Ukraine. This will help support Ukraine’s emergency health needs in this time of war. The ambulances arrived from Poland and are now being transported from Lviv to the municipalities most in need, such as municipalities that are providing shelter for internally displaced people.

The ambulances are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and have advanced medical capacities to deliver much needed health care and save lives in difficult and dangerous conditions. The representatives of regional hospitals also received a video manual with all necessary technical information, translated into Ukrainian. Amidst the Russian aggression, this donation of ambulances is essential for Ukrainian hospitals and municipalities.

Providing ambulances is part of a larger assistance project, funded by the EU and implemented by Solidarity Fund Poland and BGK. Food, hygiene products, medical and civil protection equipment are being delivered to the following regions: Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Rivne, Vinnitsya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Odesa, Ternopil, Chernivtsy, Zakarpattia, Volyn.

Maciej Popowski, acting Director General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, stated, “Today’s delivery of 25 ambulances funded by the EU to municipalities and hospitals across Ukraine is yet another tangible example of EU support to the country. The ugly truth of Russia’s illegal invasion is that ambulances have become military targets. This is why we are reinforcing the fleet of vehicles that will help save lives. This timely assistance is only possible thanks to our partnership with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and Solidarity Fund Poland. The EU remains united and committed to supporting Ukraine through the invasion and their long-term recovery and reconstruction, which we see fully embedded in their European accession path.”

Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, President of BGK, said, “We have been helping Ukraine in every possible way from the very beginning of the war. We are very proud that BGK is committed to helping on many levels – donation, enabling money transfers for Ukraine and now cooperation with the European Commission. This is aid for Ukraine, which we can see today, when we look at the ambulances parked in Lviv. Ukrainians were, are and will be a part of Europe, so we will never stop helping them.”

In total, emergency aid under this assistance programme is being distributed to 120 municipalities in 22 regions of Ukraine. Officially, 9.86 million people reside in the selected municipalities. About 90 municipalities were selected for the project due to the presence of internally displaced people, about 30 municipalities are rebuilding after the suffering from war damage and occupation. The total cost of delivered goods is about €10 million.

The EU, Solidarity Fund Poland and BGK are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine during these difficult times. We strongly believe that solidarity saves lives and will continue our mutual efforts to help bring lifesaving care to Ukrainians in these difficult times.