According to Fredrika Lindholm, project manager at MSB, healthcare in Ukraine is strained and the country's medical supplies are insufficient. Sweden, through MSB, is one of the EU countries tasked with managing the EU's emergency stockpile for medical supplies.
The EU joint emergency stockpile is located in Kristinehamn in Värmland, Sweden, and has now been activated for the third time. The first activation of the stockpile was in October 2021 when Latvia, due to a severe situation caused by COVID-19, requested ventilators. The second activation occurred in the summer of 2022 when protective gowns were sent to Ukraine.
The EU's Medical Stockpile in Sweden and rescEU
In 2020, Sweden was tasked by the EU to stockpile personal protective equipment such as respirators, protective gowns, ventilators, and other equipment to assist patients with respiratory issues. The materials are intended for use during major crises when the resources of EU countries are insufficient.The medical stockpile is part of the development of the EU's joint preparedness within the framework of the rescEU project. RescEU is a system of EU-wide resources aimed at enhancing preparedness and response capacity for various types of crises, such as forest fires and pandemics. Sweden is also the host country for water-scooping aircraft and temporary emergency shelters.
The project to establish the EU's medical stockpile is a collaboration between the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), and the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).