Croatia’s emergency helicopter response programme is proving effective.
The pilot program of the Ministry of Health for the emergency transportation of seriously ill and injured persons with helicopters from islands and Dalmatian hinterland to the Split hospital seems to have lived up to expectations, at least as far as the region of Imotski is concerned. Just in the last month, as many as six gravely ill patients have been transported from Imotski to Split hospital, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 8, 2015.
A yellow helicopter rented from an Italian company with their equipment and crew landed on local soccer pitches and took over the patients who were brought there by emergency medical staff.
“This project, at least as far as we are concerned, has already justified its existence. Six of our fellow citizens received the complete medical care within just fifteen minutes, during which the helicopter reached Split. In addition, it is important to point out that our doctors on duty, after transferring the patients to the helicopter, return to their post at the Emergency Medicine Unit, which is once again at the service of local patients. Before the pilot program, in emergency situations a doctor would have to enter an ambulance and go with the patient to Split, so our emergency medical unit would be without a doctor for a couple of hours”, Vladimir Delipetro, head of Emergency Medical Unit in Imotski, explains.
“Not only has this project proved to be effective in the Imotski region, but also on our islands as well. I do not think that it is necessary, like some suggest, to construct special heliports because this helicopter is designed so that it can very easily land on any flat terrain. The project will be implemented until mid-January next year, and then we will see what will happen next. However, I would like to add that in exceptional situations with more injured persons or in extreme weather conditions, pilots of the Croatian Air Force, who are also always available for all emergencies, are irreplaceable”, Leo Luetić, director of the County Institute of Emergency Medicine, said.
The most important element is the fact that the flight to Split takes only fifteen minutes, which is significantly faster than with regular ambulances, where there is always a possibility of additional delays due to traffic congestion or traffic accidents. If this project continues in the future, perhaps it would be useful to start thinking about constructing small heliports at several locations in the region for night landing of helicopters. The investment would not be large, and all local government units could allocate the necessary money.
