The five patients brought from Gaza on Wednesday evening, who will remain in Romania for medical treatment, will receive specialist care at the 'Maria Sklodowska Curie' Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children and at the 'Grigore Alexandrescu' Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children in Bucharest, according to the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU).

These patients, severely affected by the lack of access to appropriate medical treatment, were brought aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, along with seven other patients, who will be transferred to hospitals in other countries for further treatment.

'Thus, the Ministry of National Defence aircraft took off from Otopeni Airport around 8:30 a.m., heading to Israel - Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport, where it landed around 1:00 p.m. Romania time. After boarding the patients and their companions, as well as conducting medical evaluations, the plane took off from the airport in Israel at 3:00 p.m., heading to Bucharest - 90th Air Transport Base - Otopeni, where it landed at 7:35 p.m. During the entire transport, medical assistance was provided by a team of two doctors and two nurses from the UPU-SMURD Floreasca, one doctor and two nurses from the Ministry of National Defence. Furthermore, to ensure the smooth operation of the mission, there were also two liaison officers from DSU on board,' a press release sent to AGERPRES reads.

The five patients who will remain at the children's hospitals in Bucharest are accompanied by 16 relatives.

At the same time, one patient, assisted by a medical team from UPU-SMURD Floreasca, will be transferred to Norway aboard a SMURD Bombardier Learjet 7 aircraft belonging to the General Inspectorate of Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Another five people (together with 16 relatives) will be transported to Paris, France, by an aircraft provided by the Slovak authorities, while another patient, together with three relatives, will be transferred by air to Tirana, Albania, with support from the authorities of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, according to the quoted source.

The mission was carried out following requests from the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), through the CECIS (Common Emergency and Information System) system, within the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which were registered with the Department for Emergency Situations. During the period preceding the execution of the mission, in December and January, the planning process of the MEDEVAC operation took place, coordinated by DSU, which ensured operational organisation through participation in three trilateral videoconferences (DSU - ERCC - COGAT).

The operation was carried out in close cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs through the Department for Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, the Coordination Unit of Government Activities in Territories (COGAT), a unit within the Ministry of Defence of Israel, the National Emergency Medical Service, Ambulance and Blood Bank 'Magen David Adom,' the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection of the Bucharest City Hall, Habitat for Humanity, and other essential authorities to ensure the efficient and safe conduct of the mission.

'Through this endeavor, our country reconfirms its role as a reliable partner, involved in humanitarian assistance, the transport of critically ill patients, and the provision of specialist medical treatment,' the DSU release adds.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informed, through a press release, that considering the difficult humanitarian and medical situation in the Gaza Strip, as well as the fact that access to medical treatment is severely affected by the ongoing military conflict, Romania has offered assistance to vulnerable patients from the Palestinian enclave.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania will continue to contribute to efforts to mitigate the humanitarian crisis effects on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, acting in close coordination with its international partners. AGERPRES (RO - author: Marius Fratila, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)