RUSSIA – UKRAINE WAR: A 12-year-old Ukrainian girl has been airlifted from Poznan in Poland to Cork for medical treatment.
In a joint operation, the National Ambulance Critical Care and Retrieval Service and the Irish Airs Corps flew the child, her mother and two siblings by air ambulance to Cork, landing at the airport shortly before 5.30pm.
The family of four had fled to Poland from Kiev, where the girl’s father stayed behind to fight as part of the Ukrainian army.
She has a long-standing medical condition
On arrival in Poland, she became ill and was admitted to hospital there.
She has now been transferred to Cork University Hospital where she will receive ongoing care.
“The patient is doing quite well… thankfully the mission has been successful,” said Dr Eoin Fogarty, an Emergency Medicine and Retrieval Consultant at Cork University Hospital who took part in the medical evacuation operation.
The medical team was drawn from the South/Southwest Hospital Group.
“It’s quite humbling being part of this. It is quite an important role to play. Without the retrieval service that we provide and without the Air Corps this mission would not have been able to happen,” Dr Fogarty said.
Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Ridge said he was very proud to have been involved in this operation, his second medical evacuation mission involving a Ukrainian child this month.
Last Saturday, the same Irish Air Corps Casa CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft was used as an air ambulance to transport a baby boy requiring neonatal care, and his family, from Lublin in Poland to Baldonnel in Dublin, with support from the National Neonatal Transport Programme.
The infant was then transferred to the children’s hospital, CHI at Crumlin, for medical attention.
“It really does mark how unique a career it is in the Air Corps to be involved in these types of missions,” Lieutenant Colonel Ridge said in the same week as the organisation celebrated its centenary.
“Its a very special feeling when you get to take part in an air ambulance such as this, at a time such as this, when there’s a country that clearly needs our help, Ukraine, and to be able to do our part in assisting that and bringing this family home to Ireland… its very important to us and something we pride ourselves within the Air Corps in doing.”