To help address the problem, the military has significantly expanded medical training during Basic Combined Arms Training (BCAT) and is also seeking the release of certain medical professionals from exemption from military service.
According to Ukrinform, Major Stanislav Yasynskyi, communications officer at the Medical Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Colonel Ihor Pryshchepa, chief surgeon at the Military Medical Clinical Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Irpin, announced this at a press conference at Ukrinform.
"We are experiencing a serious shortage of combat medics, so to help bridge this gap we are strengthening medical training for soldiers during basic training... It currently amounts to 30 hours and will soon increase to 40," Yasynskyi said.
He noted that a soldier's level of tactical medicine training is crucial for survival during the initial stage after being wounded, as combat medics are not always able to reach frontline positions in time.
Yasynskyi added that combat medics regularly train service members to use tourniquets, assess their own injuries, and provide first aid to themselves and fellow soldiers.
"The personnel shortage exists and will always exist. The most critical shortages are in such specialties as surgeons, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, and nurse anesthetists," Pryshchepa said.
He added that the Medical Forces Command provides training, methodological support, and equipment for military units, while also pointing to the uneven distribution of medical specialists among brigades.
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At the same time, Yasynskyi said that due to the critical shortage of medical personnel, the Medical Forces Command has appealed to the Ministry of Health to release certain medical workers from their exemption from military service so they can be mobilized to meet the Armed Forces' needs.
As reported by Ukrinform, after completing military service, combat medics can continue saving lives in Ukraine's civilian healthcare system.