September 1, 2023 – The Croatian Ministry of Health gave its consent for the state budget to carry the obligation of expenses in the period from 2024 to 2030 for the conclusion of a contract for the public procurement of air ambulance in Croatia. Helicopter emergency medical services will therefore be established at four locations.
As Index writes, the Croatian government undertook to establish an adequate system of helicopter emergency medical services. Through the instrument for technical support of the main administration of the European Commission for the support of structural reforms, it succeeded in obtaining and realizing technical assistance and programming partial financing of this project from EU funds, noted Minister of Health Vili Beroš.
The Ministry conducted an open public procurement procedure for the locations Rijeka and Split (Group 1) and Zagreb and Osijek (Group 2). The total value of the contract is EUR 62.5 million including VAT.
The service provider must provide service 24 hours a day, seven days a week for Group 1, and during daytime visibility, seven days a week for Group 2.
“Procuring these services ensures the care of seriously injured or critically ill persons within the so-called golden hour through primary flights. Patient care within the golden hour increases the chance of survival of the injured from 30 to 50 percent and provides the best chance for a quality recovery,” emphasized Beroš.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković assessed that helicopters can make a crucial difference for patients to survive and receive adequate healthcare.
Other Important Points from the Government Session
In other news, the government amended the Preschool Education Act to enable the state to provide equal criteria for co-financing early preschool education for every child in Croatia, regardless of who is the founder of the kindergarten.
The Minister of Science and Education, Radovan Fuchs, pointed out that one of the key investments in the education system is the construction of new kindergarten capacities, for which a total of 260 million euros have been secured in the coming period.
