NATO and Romania to jointly train Ukrainian paramedics

Europe, News October 27, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

NATO’s disaster response center has signed a cooperation agreement with Romania to deliver paramedic training for Ukrainian first responders. The training will be conducted in Romania.

The agreement was signed between NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs on October 24.

“This training will help to increase the capacities of the Ukrainian medical system amid Russia’s war of aggression – a situation exacerbated by the onset of winter conditions and continued challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.“

Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said it was important to support Ukraine in the most important areas in the wake of the unprovoked war of aggression waged by Russia since February. “We offer Romania’s support in the most direct and timely manner for [Ukrainian] rescuers of all categories … in regions hit from a distance by Russian airstrikes, and on the front line, where rescuers face a range of injuries and suffering specific to wartime and direct confrontations with conventional weapons infantry and artillery,“ he said.

The Ukrainian paramedic staff will be trained in Romania by the Department of Emergency Situations under the Ministry of Interior of Romania. Romania and NATO will jointly finance the delivery of training and logistical support through their Pandemic Response Trust Fund which was established in 2022 to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated cost of the training project is 450,000 euros.

The pandemic response trust is currently providing immediate humanitarian support to Ukraine, including the delivery of medical equipment, supplies, and educational support in areas like paramedic training to help improve the preparedness and resilience of Ukraine’s national healthcare system.

*^{The signing of an agreement between NATO and Romania with Tim Lannan, NATO Head of the EADRCC and State secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania Raed Arafat. (Image Credit: NATO)}*

A ceremony to mark the signing of the agreement, held at NATO Headquarters, was attended by the State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Interior, Dr. Raed Arafat, the Permanent Representative of Romania to NATO, Ambassador Dan Neculăescu; and Tim Lannan, Head of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre.

Romanian government agencies and EADRCC would train at least 197 Ukrainian national rescuers to prepare them to deal with emergency situations and strengthen national resilience in the field of public health, the Romanian government release said.

The training of Ukrainian paramedics will include basic medical courses as well as those intended for the training of qualified first aid instructors, according to the agreement.