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Swiss hospitals treat injured Ukrainian civilians

Injured man being helped from a building in Donetsk, Ukraine
Swiss hospitals can only treat a limited number of Ukrainian civilians as they are short-staffed and dealing with a flu outbreak. Keystone / Sergei Ilnitsky

Switzerland has flown in 18 injured Ukrainian civilians for treatment since September, the health authorities revealed on Thursday.

The ten male and eight female patients range in age from eight to 70 years of age, said the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors.

An eight-year-old girl with serious burns was recently flown in by the air ambulance service Rega from Poland. Arrangements are currently being made to receive another seriously ill child from the war-torn country.

The costs are borne by cantons and health insurance companies under an arrangement with the Ukrainian authorities.

The Swiss government has rejected a NATO request to treat Ukrainians military personnel wounded in the war on the grounds of neutrality, according to media reports.

There are also limits on the number of Ukrainian civilians that can be treated in Switzerland as Swiss hospitals are dealing with an influenza outbreak and many are short staffed.

Although Switzerland plans to continue taking in injured Ukrainian civilians, plans are also being made to provide on-site medical treatment in Ukraine and surrounding countries.

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