Estonia, Germany hand Ukraine 'keys' to new military field hospital
Symbolic keys to a new €5.3 million field hospital were handed to Ukraine by Estonia and Germany on Monday. The medical facility was funded and donated by the two NATO allies.
Germany funded the purchase of the field hospital, while the Estonian Defence Forces will organize a 13-day training course for Ukrainian military medical instructors. The training will be provided by the Estonian company Semetron.
The field hospital has been developed to suit the climate conditions of the region and can be used across all terrain and weather conditions. A single module can be assembled in approximately 20-30 minutes by doctors, nurses and paramedics.
Estonia's Minister of Defence of Kalle Laanet (Reform) and German Ambassador to Estonia Christiane Hohmann handed over the golden symbolic keys to Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar during a visit to Tallinn.
"Today, Ukraine holds the front line separating Europe from a military conflict with Russia, and it is our duty and the direct interest of the West to support Ukraine in every way possible so that Ukraine is able to stand up to the aggressor," said Laanet.
Hohmann said this is an "excellent example of the seamless cooperation".
"Thanks to German financing of €5.3 million euros and Estonian production – Ukraine receives a state of the art field hospital. This is partnership at work!" she said.
Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said "the civilised world" must "stand up" to acts of aggression and condemn Russia's actions.
"Without a doubt, this hospital will significantly improve the quality of emergency medical care, which should result in a reduction in the number of deaths, the risk of complications and speed up the healing process of the injured and wounded," she said.
Germany has been criticized in recent weeks for refusing to send lethal weapons to Ukraine, instead choosing to send 5,000 helmets. It has also not given permission for Estonia to send weapons purchased from Germany to Ukraine.
On Monday, it was announced the country would send an additional 350 soldiers to reinforce its battlegroup in Lithuania.
Speaking to American broadcaster CNN, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany is one of the biggest donators of aid to Ukraine after the U.S.A and also gives financial support to Ukraine through the EU.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright
