ZAGREB, 24 Feb (Hina) – War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved and Health Minister Irena Hrstić on Tuesday welcomed 19 wounded Ukrainian soldiers at Zagreb airport who will undergo rehabilitation at Croatian institutions, in what they described as one form of support for the Ukrainian people.
Medved told reporters the soldiers had been wounded earlier in the war and would be referred to specialist facilities and veterans” centres run by his ministry.
„Today, as the prime minister is in Ukraine with a clear objective of supporting the Ukrainian people, we are sending a message from Zagreb that we will continue to provide assistance through various channels, particularly by supporting those wounded in the battles for Ukraine’s freedom,“ Medved said.
He added that the rehabilitation programme was just one strand of Croatia’s assistance to „the friendly people of Ukraine“, alongside material, financial and military support.
A total of 72 wounded Ukrainians have so far stayed in Croatia in four groups. Twelve are still undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, and the 19 who arrived today are now being assigned to medical facilities, he said.
„Our teams coordinated with colleagues in Ukraine ahead of their arrival, so we are already well acquainted with their diagnoses and the nature of their injuries. The institutions where they will be accommodated have a full medical profile for each patient and are ready to begin treatment and rehabilitation immediately upon admission,“ Medved said.
He thanked the Health Ministry and other departments for their role in organising the reception, as well as the MEDEVAC team which transported the fifth group of wounded soldiers by aircraft to expedite the process and ensure those in severe pain or with serious injuries could be admitted as quickly as possible.
Hrstić said thorough preparation had made the complex reception of severely wounded patients more manageable.
„The preparatory phase is the most important part of receiving patients. We already have all the necessary information, which means the wounded have been assigned in advance to healthcare institutions according to their medical needs,“ she said, thanking Medved for ensuring continuity in the organisation and coordination of several ministries, now for the fifth time, in receiving wounded Ukrainians.
