09.11.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

The Ukrainian World Congress Humanitarian Initiatives, together with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, completed a thorough assessment of the medical services of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

It is grim, to say the least, and Ukraine definitely has its work cut out for it to even begin to meet basic standards for adequate military combat medical capability in all areas from training to field hospital equipment and resources, let alone to meet NATO standards. Regardless, many small drops create an ocean, and the visionary folks at Patriot Defence are working steadily toward informing, equipping, preparing, transforming and long-term sustainability for a vision of NATO-level combat medical training and resources to meet the the challenges of the Ukrainian humanitarian ground reality.

The Executive Summary of that medical assessment can be found here:
http://patriotdefence.org/index/medical-assessment-sUa.html

It’s key findings include:
• the average time from a soldier’s point of injury to first medical contact is 20-60 minutes (too long) and that contact is not even a hospital just the first possible contact in the field
• from there it can be 12–18 hours, or even up to 2 days, from point of injury to a field medical hospital with surgical capability
• most of the field hospitals that were visited were completely inadequate for adverse weather, prolonged conflict, or medical operations that meet international standards
• Individual first aid kits (IFAKs) to an international standard for each soldier with accompanied CLS [Combat Life Saver] training is at less than 1% of uniformed troops (approximately 3,600 IFAKs have been given out to ATO servicemen, yet troops number at 6-14,000)
• The special forces medic role with advanced trauma treatment capabilities in the field is non-existent
• There are no armored ambulance transport capabilities to transport patients from active combat areas to casualty evacuation points
• Helicopters used for medical evacuation, what’s left of those not already shot down by Russian forces, are not fit for their purpose for numerous reasons

The list continues…and then the summary goes on to make many recommendations. Among these that of course, every active duty Ukrainian military serviceperson needs to receive an IFAK and the appropriate Combat Life Saver training to know how to use what’s in it, that more field dressings, pressure dressings, updated tourniquets and airway adjuncts, surgical supplies are acutely needed to supply mobile hospitals and to re-supply combat medical teams in the field, more training of doctors and nurses for mobile field hospital training to ITLS and ATLS standards, that the current 3-500 combat medical personnel be trained in the Special Forces medic role with advanced medical bag and equipment, and more.

There are also some serious equipment needs such as:
• To dedicate and configure four (4) APCs to function as armored ambulance transport from active combat area to casualty evacuation point
• Civilian rotary medical evacuation aircraft need to be purchased or contracted for use throughout the ATO to transport the critically ill and injured following CAMTS guidelines
• 20 portable ultrasound devices and adequate training for medical staff to carry-out a eFAST to assist with triage and transport decisions should be implemented for mobile brigade level doctors and paramedics and mobile hospitals in the ATO [anti-terrorism operation zone]
• To replace in situ mobile hospitals with modern field hospitals with updated surgical capabilities, emergency medical care, diagnostics, life support facilities and weatherproofing – these mobile hospitals should be strategically placed to serve as combat support hospitals, have rotary winged aircraft access, be in a highly defensible position and have encrypted communication access to regional and central medical support
• Re-usable surgical instruments, c-arm x-ray equipment, and modern anesthesia machines for field hospitals and medical facilities supporting the ATO are required

And the report continues in greater detail. Watch Dr. John Quinn’s presentation of this report earlier today in Kyiv at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center for more details.

“Patriot Defence. Assessment of medical services of the Ministry of Defence.”
Dr. Ulana Suprun, Director of Humanitarian Initiatives of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), Mr. Lashenko, Ministry of Defence, and Dr. John Quinn, MPH, MD, Medical Consultant, Ukrainian World Congress took part in the presentation of the report (see video below). 

The report of Dr. John Quinn, medical consultant on the project “Protection of the Patriots,” the current state of the system of military medical care and evacuation of soldiers from the fields of battle in Ukraine.

(English) Patriot Defence. Ukraine Crisis Media Center, 11th of September 2014. Dr. John Quinn’s report begins at 5:00 –

Source: Patriot Defence: IFAK + Combat Lifesaver Training for Ukraine

See more details: Dr. John Quinn begins to speak in English at 3:04 – 

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Please support the heroic efforts of Patriot Defence volunteers working to get Improved First Aid Kits and professional NATO combat medical training into the hands of Ukrainian soldiers to save lives. It’s needed now more urgently than ever.

http://patriotdefence.org

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