ZAGREB, March 19, 2019 – The Ministry of Tourism will once again co-finance additional medical teams in tourist destinations in the peak season and has earmarked 1.5 million kuna for that purpose, it was said on Tuesday at a ceremony when agreements on co-financing were signed with county representatives of the most prominent tourism destinations.
Of the total of 1.5 million kuna, nearly 456,000 kuna will go to Istria County and 316,000 kuna will help finance additional medical teams in Split-Dalmatia County. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County will receive 270,000 kuna, followed by Zadar County (180,000 kuna), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (125,500 kuna), Šibenik-Knin County (103,000 kuna) and Lika-Senj county (50,300).
“The security aspect is a very important part of tourism as are medical teams…all this is to help make Croatia a safe destination,” Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said, adding that he has insisted for some time now for a solution for a helicopter medical service, particularly for the islands and hopes that a solution will be found by the summer.
He explained that since 2008 to date the ministry had set aside almost 19 million kuna to co-finance medical teams.
“This year we will have 20 teams on the road that will be dispatched at more than 20 locations in the seven counties,” the director of Croatia’s Institute for Emergency Medicine, Maja Grba-Bujević said.
She said that last year between 1 June and 30 September, medical teams in these counties attended to 168,000 cases which was 58% more than in the first four months of that year.
The most frequent interventions during the summer are related to heart attacks, migraines and dizziness. She added that 564 people were attended to by medical air assistance during the tourism season, 70% of those patients suffered heart attacks.
More news about tourism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
