The Ministry of Strategic Industries, together with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, conducted demonstration tests of equipment for medical evacuation on the occasion of World Emergency Medical Aid Day.
According to Ukrinform, this was announced by the press service of the Ministry of Strategy and Industry.
The purpose of the event is to draw attention to the topic of medical evacuation in the war zone. In addition, to encourage representatives of partner countries to enter into direct contracts with Ukrainian manufacturers within the framework of the project ZBROYARI: Manufacturing Freedom.
Nine products from seven Ukrainian manufacturers took part in the demonstration tests. Two samples of automotive equipment and seven terrestrial robotic platforms were presented.
“Such equipment is needed at the front, it saves the lives of both wounded and military medics. Our manufacturers know how to make really high-quality products. They are different: armored cars, sanitary, wheeled and tracked robotic platforms of various modifications. In order for these products to get to the front, they must be purchased. “The state currently has a very limited resource,” said Anna Gvozdyar, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries.
According to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Andriy Lebedenko, the Armed Forces, together with the Ministry of Strategic Industries, determine requirements and needs. and are looking for already implemented technological solutions for their implementation in the Ukrainian army and further scaling.
"The realities of modern war demand from us new progressive, technological solutions regarding the organization of medical evacuation. The enemy is using modern lethal weapons against us. The front line is heterogeneous. There are areas with a lot of sand, water, and forest. Sometimes defense is carried out in difficult conditions of urban development. Therefore, the methods of medical evacuation of the wounded, which were used in previous wars (the Second World War, the Afghan, Chechen wars) are not effective enough in our realities. Today, robotic systems are the solution that can save the life of a wounded person, shorten the evacuation time, and maintain the unit's combat effectiveness under any conditions,” said Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service Ihor Shcherbakov.
According to him, in modern conditions, evacuation is carried out at night – it is safer that way. But this increases the evacuation time, which negatively affects the health of the fighter.
«Minstrategprom is focused on the development of systems that can functionally replace a person at the front, especially in situations of increased risk – such as medical evacuation. The main problem in this is insufficient funding. Therefore, efforts are being made to attract funds from partner countries, including through the implementation of the ZBROYARI: Manufacturing Freedom project, within which the event was held, the department stressed.
ZBROYARI: Manufacturing Freedom — a global fundraising campaign initiated by the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, with the support of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the goal of which is to raise $10 billion for the production of Ukrainian weapons during 2024.