As of Saturday January 9, 2016, there will be no more emergency medical helicopter service (EMHS) for islands and Inland Dalmatia, due to the end of the pilot project of the Ministry of Health, although an agreement on a two-week extension of the project until the new Government is formed was announced earlier this week.
According to the announcement of the Ministry of Health on Friday afternoon, the pilot project can not be extended, producing more costs, due to the current political situation and because of its temporary financing plan.
According to Slobodna Dalmacija, the Ministry states, that the project will end on January 9, 2016, according to the schedule and the emergency medical assistance will return to the previous model, where the emergency transport of the patients includes the use of the military helicopters, who have already been part of the EMHS project.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Miljenko Bura, in charge of the coordination of the future emergency services, will, as stated, present the results of the project and recommendations for the future after the analysis is done.
Within the EMHS project, from its beginning until December 31, 2015, there was totally 219 emergency interventions. All patients, says the spokesman of the Ministry, were trasported to the hospital within the “golden hour”.
According to the current data, the most cases were: trauma (46), heart attack (47), stroke (17), emergency situations of pregnant women (14) and children (14).
The Deputy Minister of Health, Miljenko Bura stated for Hina few days ago, that the project demonstrated increased availability and quality of health care for people on the islands and in Inland Dalmatia, especially patients with a heart attack and stroke, because they were, unlike the 2-3 hours long transport by the military helicopter, transported in less than an hour, usually within 45 minutes.
Two helicopters equipped for medical interventions were taking off from the base on the island Krk and Brač and to provide the EMHS, ten medical teams were trained.
