Disarmed medics will be drafted into the Armed Forces under a one-year contract and only for medical positions. This was announced by Health Minister Viktor Lyashko.
Lyashko said that the Ministry of Defence is currently preparing a comprehensive issue of demobilisation of medical personnel.
‘We want to replace medical workers in the Armed Forces on a rotational basis, so that they serve for a year and return, and we use this mechanism to recruit new medical workers,’ he explained.
The deployment of medics will be based on the current situation in the region so as not to reduce the provision of medical services.
‘The mechanism is designed to find a balance that will satisfy both the Armed Forces and civilian hospitals. We will update the lists every month and see what is happening. Our key task is to ensure that highly specialised and highly qualified personnel get to where they are needed. We would not want cardiac and thoracic surgeons to join medical battalions, because they are needed where they will operate and save lives,’ he said.
Lyashko emphasised that private medical institutions also have the right to book 50% of men liable for military service.
‘If they want more than 50 per cent, they must provide proper justification,’ he said.
A mobilised medic can only become a shooter by voluntary consent.
