25 years of Polish Medical Mission
26.04.2024
Reading time
3 minutes
5 continents, 30 countries, over 1,000,000 people reached by aid – these are the results of 25 years of activity by the Polish Medical Mission. One of the most well-known Polish aid organizations began helping during the conflict in Kosovo and today supports those in need in places like the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Syria, and Ethiopia.
It all started in 1999 during the conflict in Kosovo. A humanitarian crisis was unfolding, and its victims were fleeing to neighboring countries. Four friends – Wiesław Latuszek-Łukasiewicz, Wojciech Bodzoń, Przemysław Guła, and Jarosław Gucwa – decided to go to Albania to help refugees.
They teamed up with firefighters from Nowy Sącz and organized transportation together. They bought medicines and set up a field hospital in the town of Ndroq. Instead of the planned two weeks, they spent six months there. Upon their return, they established the Polish Medical Mission. The goal? Humanitarian aid, education, medical programs, and development.
Gallery
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Pakistan 2005
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Pakistan 2005
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Pakistan 2005
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Iran 2003
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Iran 2003
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Iran 2003
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Indonezja
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Algieria 2003
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Albania
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Afganistan
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Indie
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Kenia
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Haiti
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Azerbejdżan
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From Polish Medical Mission Archives
“We quickly realized firsthand that aid should be as long-term as possible, that in the case of most crises, two weeks is far too short,” comments Jarosław Gucwa, a surgeon and still a member of the board of the Polish Medical Mission. “Then the building of structures and organization began: people like the longtime director of PMM, Elżbieta Lipska, and many others joined. We quickly sprung into action in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Algeria.”ie czy Algierii.
The organization didn’t stop in the following years either. Employees clad in the characteristic red of the Polish Medical Mission could be seen in countries as distant from each other as Papua New Guinea or Venezuela. Over 25 years of activity, the Polish Medical Mission operated in over 30 countries across 5 continents. Thanks to this, medical aid reached over a million people.
Medical assistance is a priority because it often involves saving lives and health. Whether through direct medical intervention or by purchasing equipment that then serves the local community for years, comments Ewa Piekarska-Dymus, president of the Polish Medical Mission. “Today, we also help where we are most needed: providing medical assistance in Syria, our mobile clinics operate in eastern Ukraine, and we support Palestinian doctors fighting for human lives in the Gaza Strip.” Assistance also means specific individuals: 14-year-old Hamza from Syria, who was provided with a prosthetic leg by PMM. 8-year-old Samantha from Venezuela, who was prepared for Achilles tendon surgery. Retiree Olena, who can remain under the care of doctors thanks to the mobile clinic traveling to her village.”
“Over a million people we’ve managed to support – that’s over a million human stories. Unique and irreplaceable. They will never be just statistics to us,”
– adds Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart.
