A 25-year-old patient with severe burns was transferred from the Bacău County Emergency Hospital to a specialized burn center in Belgium on Friday as part of a complex humanitarian medical evacuation coordinated by Romanian authorities.
According to officials, the man sustained second- and third-degree burns over approximately 70% of his body following a gas cylinder explosion inside an enclosed space. He was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation before being transported to Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, where he will receive highly specialized treatment for major burn injuries.
The transfer was approved after medical specialists determined that the patient’s condition required advanced therapies available at dedicated European burn centers.
The evacuation began with a SMURD medical helicopter operated by the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which transported the patient from the heliport of the Bacău County Emergency Hospital to Otopeni Air Base near Bucharest. From there, he was flown to Belgium aboard a Romanian Air Force C-27J Spartan aircraft specially configured for medical evacuation missions.
A second 25-year-old burn patient was transported during the same mission. The man, who had been hospitalized at the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital for Plastic, Reconstructive Surgery and Burns after suffering second-degree burns over approximately 25% of his body in an electrical accident, was transferred to Klinikum Offenbach in Germany.
Medical care throughout the flight was provided by a team of three physicians and two nurses from the Emergency Department of Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital, assisted by military medical personnel.
The mission was carried out through the joint efforts of Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), the General Inspectorate of Aviation, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of National Defence.
Romanian authorities said such international transfers enable patients with life-threatening burn injuries to receive advanced care and access specialized treatment available at leading European burn centers.
