NATO and Allies are helping to bring much-needed medical ventilators to Ukraine, to support emergency and intensive care units in hospitals around the country. Overall, 15 ventilators will be made available with support from NATO's Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). Spain is donating three ventilators to the Ukraine National Guard, while NATO is giving 12 ventilators, purchased with funds donated by Italy, to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Tom Goffus paid tribute to Italy and Spain for their solidarity. "The war, winter and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are stretching Ukraine's medical system to breaking point. This assistance from our Allies and NATO will make a big difference for hundreds of patients," he said.
The ventilators donated by NATO with Italian funds come from its stockpile of medical equipment, which had been set up to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation empties the Alliance's pandemic response stockpile, which had been set up in 2020 and was managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
