EMT PCPM supporting Ethiopia’s COVID-19 response efforts

– This is the sixth mission of Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM in response to COVID-19 pandemics – says Wojciech Wilk (PhD), leader of the Team. – We are happy to share with our Ethiopian Colleagues not only the experience from Polish hospitals, but also that acquired by our EMT during recent missions to Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Lebanon and Madagascar. Our EMT will be also supported by a doctor and a nurse from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, which will add one more country experience to share.

First deployment of the Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM was to Italy, where it supported an Intensive Care Unit in a city of Brescia in March 2020. Later, it was deployed by the WHO on training and capacity-building missions to two countries of Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Since last August, Polish doctors support two state-run hospitals for COVID patients in Lebanon, while three Polish medical workers were deployment on WHO surge mission to Madagascar. In Poland, the Emergency Medical Team actively supported hospitals, among others setting up COVID triage areas in front of hospital emergency departments.

Poland EMT PCPM is deployed in Ethiopia at the invitation from the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and under the auspices of the WHO. – Our immediate objective is to support the COVID-19 treatment center organized in the Millenium Hall – says Mr Wilk. The treatment center, organized in Millennium Hall exhibition center can cater for up to 1,000 patients. – This is first and foremost a gesture of solidarity. We aspire to bring additional personnel to support the Ethiopian healthcare system, particularly in the intensive care units. 

– The project showed once again how much the Government of Poland was dedicated to support countries around the world in dealing with the pandemic. These days, international solidarity is especially needed – said Ambassador Przemyslaw Bobak. 

– The Emergency Medical Teams are tasked to support the healthcare systems in countries affected by a crises or a disease outbreak. This is why we brought over 600kg of supplies, mainly Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), so that we are fully self-sufficient doing our deployment – says dr Wilk. 

Over 20 doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff will remain in Ethiopia until October 18th. 

Deployment of the Polish Emergency Medical Team PCPM to Ethiopia is funded by the Government of Poland.