Injured former fighters to begin recovery at new rehabilitation centre in Ourém
A first group of 15 Ukrainian war wounded, injured on the eastern front of the country, will arrive in Portugal on Friday to begin recovery at the new rehabilitation centre in Aldeia Nova, Ourém (Santarém district).
The centre is an initiative of the Ukrainian Refugees UAPT association (known as HELP UA.PT).
It was created from the restoration of a former seminary, with the support of various companies and civil society, and will be inaugurated on Saturday.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, Ngelo Neto, treasurer of Ukrainian Refugees UAPT, said that this first group is physically stabilised, but very fragile in psychological terms.
“They’ve all had limbs amputated, but they have been stabilised; they have been operated on; they have been fitted with temporary prosthetics. They are now going to have rehabilitation treatment so that they can start learning to walk again.
“In clinical terms they are stabilised, but psychologically they are very fragile,” said he stressed, speaking to Lusa from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.
Mr Neto travelled to Ukraine to accompany the soldiers, as well as the doctors who will be coming with them.
He explained the group is scheduled to leave Ukrainian territory on Thursday morning in a special bus heading for Warsaw (Poland).
From there, they will travel to Lisbon on a regular TAP flight, scheduled to arrive here on Friday.
“They will go straight to the centre because they arrive with the doctors who have been treating them since they were injured at the front.
“If we need any more prioritised or technical tests, CUF in Santarém will give us that support”, Ngelo Neto added.
The centre in Ourém is the first project of its kind in Europe. The idea is to provide medical care in this country without adding to the burden of the SNS State health system.
The building has been ceded free of charges for the next seven years.
Renovation works began over a year ago (see the Help UA.PT facebook page for lots of video clips of all the progress), when the long-term plan was described as being able to provide beds and treatment for up to 150 injured soldiers. ND
Source material: LUSA
