ZAGREB, 18 Feb (Hina) – Croatia’s Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) has conducted 1,205 interventions over the past 10 months, continuously improving through various adjustments and changes, it was highlighted at a conference in the eastern city of Osijek on Tuesday.
Maja Grba-Bujević, Director of the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine (HZHM), said that HEMSВ is organised into four bases — Osijek, Zagreb, Rijeka and Split — linked to clinical hospital centres where all patients can receive high-quality care.
She praised the service’s performance over the past ten months since its establishment, noting that a total of 1,205 interventions had been conducted across Croatia by this morning, which is a significant number for such a short period.
Of the 1,205 interventions, the helicopters were most commonly used in trauma and polytrauma cases, and for strokes and heart attacks, Grba-Bujević said, adding that similar statistics are also seen in other countries with helicopter emergency services.
She emphasised the importance of HEMS for patients, particularly in light of the “golden hour”, which does not always last exactly 60 minutes. Each illness has its own “golden window”, in which the patient must reach the hospital. For polytrauma, the time is 60 minutes, for a stroke, it is 2.5 hours, and for a heart attack, it is two hours, she added.
“There is always room for improvement, and we are continuously adjusting some activities to our specific needs because not everything can be taken directly from European standards. This is how we improve the service every day,” Grba-Bujević said.
HEMS base in Osijek covers five Slavonia counties
Silvana Sabo, Director of the Osijek-Baranja Institute for Emergency Medicine, noted that HEMS was established in this institute on 31 March 2024 and operates in five Slavonia counties.
During this period, the Osijek base carried out 41 helicopter interventions, the majority of which also related to strokes and heart attacks.
“We had several interventions related to polytrauma from traffic accidents, where the helicopter landed on the road, ensuring quick and efficient access to provide immediate care for patients at KBC Osijek,” Sabo said.
HEMS teams include a doctor and a nurse, specially trained and prepared to work in emergency situations, providing care during patient transfer from the field and monitoring the patient during the flight to the hospital.
Osijek-Baranja Deputy Prefect Josip Miletić thanked the Emergency Medical Service, particularly the helicopter unit, for their contributions to citizen safety.
He announced that the County would support the procurement of new vehicles and other necessary equipment to ensure the continued high level of service from the emergency medical teams.
