Representatives of the Institution took part in the International Conference “Medicine, Refugees and Civil Protection 2025” held in Rzeszow (Poland)
This large-scale international forum brought together leading experts from Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, the United States, the European Union, and representatives of international humanitarian organizations to discuss effective strategies for responding to large-scale crises, including those resulting from wars, natural disasters, or massive population movements.
The participants had the opportunity to listen to keynote speeches by the following speakers:
• Wojtek Wilk, Polish Center for International Assistance – on organizational issues and peculiarities of the Polish Center for International Assistance.
• Arman Kacharyan, representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, on the nature of attacks on medical facilities and the readiness of hospitals.
• Flavio Salio, Head of the WHO EMT Secretariat, on the role of emergency medical teams in civil protection.
• Takako Tominaga, National Institute of Quantum Science and Technology (Japan) – on the experience of responding to the Fukushima accident.
• Paul Barach (USA) – on continuous improvement of healthcare quality during disasters.
• Representatives of the European Commission, FRONTEX, UNHCR, IOM, NRC, Polish EMTs and international NGOs.
The thematic panels on:
medical evacuation of patients from Ukraine, including the experience of the established Transit Center in Warsaw and MEDEVAC HUB Yasenka; discussion of new models of hybrid threats; lessons from the war in Ukraine, provision of medical care in combat zones; management of IDP camps and transit centers; preparing for natural disasters (experience of Taiwan, Turkey, Spain); refugee crises in Ukraine and the role of local authorities, civil society and international partners in responding.
The program also included a practical visit to the Medevac Hub’s Type 1 EMT inpatient field hospital, discussion of medical evacuation cases, experience in stabilizing the wounded in Ukraine, and challenges in certifying medical evacuation aircraft.
For our Institution, participation in the conference was an extremely valuable opportunity to exchange experience, establish international relations and improve approaches to emergency response in the field of emergency medical care and disaster medicine.
We are sincerely grateful to the Polish Center for International Assistance (PCPM), the organizer of the event, for the high level of organization and relevance of the topics raised.
