Polish Medical Emergency Detachment (P-MED) - Poland responds to new security challenges
27.04.2021
As a committed and reliable member of NATO, Poland constantly adapts to evolving security landscape, taking into consideration threats and challenges, and stands ready to support NATO Allies and Partners. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic Poland has developed skills and capabilities to fight the health crisis. Especially in times of emergency, solidarity is what makes us stronger, which is why Poland has been ready and willing to share not only resources but also manpower and expertise.
Polish Medical Emergency Detachment (P-MED) is a Polish rapid reaction medical team, consisting of doctors, paramedics, nurses and other medical personnel, launched at the request of the Prime Minister by the Government Center for Security which coordinates activities at the inter-ministerial level.
Besides their daily engagements in hospitals throughout Poland, P-MED has also been deployed abroad to support our Allies and Partners in their fight against COVID-19. After having completed several deployments in Allied countries, in March 2021 P-MED conducted vaccination of the military and civilian staff of the NATO Headquarters against COVID-19 to maintain NATO’s business continuity, readiness and to build Alliance’s resilience.
Poland attaches great importance to NATO resilience guidelines and requirements, agreed at the 2016 Warsaw Summit. Resilience is an essential basis for credible deterrence and defence and effective fulfilment of the Alliance’s core tasks. We have used the first waves of the pandemic to further adapt our national structures responsible for resilience to be able to react to crisis that require swift and tailored response. We have also shared our lessons learned with other Allies through practical engagement as well as at the Civil Emergency Planning Committee. Polish military-civilian teams of doctors and paramedics had been employed before to support Allies in handling pandemic-related crisis. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic they were deployed, i.a. to Italy (Lombardy), the US (Chicago), Slovenia, UK (Dover), Slovakia and other destinations. Since the start of the pandemic Poland has also provided help (protective equipment) to many Allies and Partners in need, i.a. Iraq, Kosovo, the Western Balkans countries, Belarus, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Georgia.
Permanent Delegation of Poland to NATO
