October the 7th, 2024 – The health of patients in life-threatening conditions was in the hands of the team of the Croatian air ambulance, which flew over 700 times in the past six months.
As Morski writes, those 700+ flights mostly took place in the skies above the wider area of Split and further north around Rijeka, but lives have also been saved in the continental part of the country
In the latter regard, three patients were successfully transported from Čakovec to Zagreb over just a few days. One of them, Antun Zovkić, a 74-year-old from Čakovec, is currently recovering at home after undergoing emergency heart surgery. He was recently transported by the Croatian air ambulance to Dubrava hospital in Zagreb in a very serious condition. He never dreamed that his first ride in a helicopter would be the one that would save his life.
“The staff who were there with me calmly and simply talked. They asked me how I was, did my chest feel tight, do I feel I’m getting enough air, and other things like that. I was conscious the entire time, praying to God,” he Zovkić stated when recalling his severe cardiac episode for Regionalni dnevnik.
The flight lasted about 20 minutes in total, and when the Croatian air ambulance arrived at the hospital, everything was already ready for the emergency heart surgery.
“We immediately went to the operating room and three doctors were already there waiting for me,” he added.
“Patient transport using the Croatian air ambulance is the most adequate and fastest method to get the patient to a suitable healthcare facility that can help them,” believes Jurica Juričan from the Institute for Emergency Medicine of Međimurje County.
The Croatian air ambulance is used to pick up patients from across all parts of the country from one of four bases – Zagreb, Osijek, Split and Rijeka. Since most Croatian hospitals don’t have helipads, there are designated locations in almost all cities nationwide where these helicopters can land safely.
