Ukrainian hospitals to operate under new rules during air raid alerts

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved new rules for the operation of medical facilities depending on the level of air threat. Under the yellow level, hospitals will be able to continue operating, while under the red level, the majority of patients and staff must move to shelters.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Koretskyi announced this on September 21. The rules provide for a separate algorithm of actions for medical institutions at the two threat levels introduced by the government in early September.

At the yellow level, hospitals continue to operate as usual. At the same time, staff, patients and visitors must have full access to shelters.

At the red level, patients and medical workers must move to shelters. However, assistance that is dangerous to interrupt will continue. This includes surgeries, resuscitation and intensive care.

Patients who cannot be safely moved to a shelter will continue to be treated in the most protected areas of the medical facility. In shelters and such areas, it is allowed to provide medical care, place patients and dispense medicines.

A separate rule is established for emergency medical care: it must operate continuously regardless of the level of air threat.

“Patients with urgent conditions are admitted regardless of the threat level. Dispatch services receive calls, ambulance crews go to patients,” Koretskyi stated.

The government also instructed to further strengthen the protection of the most critical hospital premises. This refers to operating rooms, intensive care units, maternity and emergency departments, as well as rooms with backup power sources and critical medical equipment.

Special attention should be paid to departments and rooms where patients who cannot be quickly evacuated are located.

The division of air threats into two levels was approved by the government on September 3 due to changes in Russian attack tactics. The yellow level is applied in case of a drone attack threat, while the red level means an increased threat of a missile or combined strike.

The new system should allow infrastructure and institutions not to stop work automatically during every prolonged drone threat, while maintaining stricter restrictions at high risk of a missile attack.

Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers had already approved a separate algorithm for railways. At the yellow level, trains continue to run, and passengers board and disembark, while at the red level, train departures and boarding are suspended, and passengers must move to shelters.

Based on materials: Suspilne, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine