Lviv Emergency Medical Team first to receive WHO global verification

9 November 2026
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The Lviv Regional Centre for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine has become the first emergency medical team (EMT) to be verified by WHO for specialist medical evacuation (medevac).

The WHO global verification confirms the medevac team’s capacity to deliver safe, high-quality specialized medical transport, including for critically ill patients who require advanced medical care during transfer.

 

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The WHO verification recognizes years of operational experience gained by the Lviv team through one of the largest medevac efforts in Europe in recent history.

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To date, more than 7200 patients from Ukraine have accessed treatment abroad through the medevac programme.

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For many patients, medevac represents far more than transportation – it is an opportunity to access life-saving treatment that may be unavailable or severely limited in Ukraine.

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The WHO verification goes beyond recognizing the team’s technical capabilities.

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It provides an additional layer of quality assurance for patients, helping to ensure that people requiring specialist medical transport receive care that meets internationally recognized standards of safety and quality.

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It also strengthens the team’s preparedness to respond effectively to emergencies at both national and international levels.

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Since the start of the war, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has been leading the implementation of a medevac programme in close cooperation with the European Union and partner governments, and with technical and operational support from WHO.

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