"Flying doctors" in Brussels
20.06.2018 / 23:42 | Aktualizováno: 20.06.2018 / 23:47
On June 20, 2018, the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union hosted a photographic exhibition called “Flying Doctors”. The audience of about 100 visitors were welcomed by Mr. Jaroslav Zajíček, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU. Ambassador Zajíček has pointed out that the main purpose of the exhibition was to present to the public two foreign aid programmes operated mainly by the Ministry of the Interior – the Permanent Medical Humanitarian Programme “MEDEVAC” and the “Aid in Place” Programme. Apart from seeing the exhibiton, visitors also had a chance to talk to Mr. Jiří Pasz, photograher and author of the pictures, as well as to Magda Kociánová and Vít Šrámek, experts on foreign aid at the Ministry of the Interior.
The Czech government has created these two supplementary programmes in order to positively contribute to tackling the most pressing problems associated with the forced movement of refugees and internally displaced persons, as the Czech Republic was facing an increasing need to react more effectively to the challenges of the migration crisis. These programmes currently operate in many countries in the Balkans, eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, such as Ukraine, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Jordan, Iraq.
The exhibition offers first-hand documentation of foreign aid which includes, but is not limited to, providing medical care to refugees, building local infrastructure, training necessary experts and providing consumables and equipment. This effort shall ultimately help to create an environment in which people who have been forced to flee their homes are able to lead as normal a life as possible under their difficult circumstances.
Furthermore, the exhibition does not only emphasize the importance of the humanitarian aid – it goes further and shows how creating a functioning infrastructure can positively contribute to the lives of people who find themselves in such difficult situations. However, the aim of these programmes is not only to help refugees, but also to decrease the burden on the countries that have suddenly experienced a massive influx of refugees. For instance, through the “Aid in Place” Programme, the Czech Republic allocates financial donations to the hosting countries in order to assist refugees on the place of their first displacement. Thanks to the means provided through this programme, our projects were able to help in many places, for example, in Jordan our project helped to accommodate additional 31 000 refugees.
The second above-mentioned programme has a slightly different aim and purpose. The “MEDEVAC” programme has developed from a programme based on medical-humanitarian evacuations to the Czech Republic. The primary activity of this programme is the deployment of Czech doctors abroad where they offer medical help to refugees and the vulnerable local population without an alternative access to medical care. MEDEVAC also provides training to local medical staff and helps to strengthen the local health systems through financial donations. The programme has successfully deployed nineteen medical teams over the past year. Moreover during 2017, 940 surgeries were performed abroad and over 100 foreign medical personnel were trained.