Deputy Minister of Health Ivian Benishev stated that the Ministry of Health is considering changes and improvements to the rules for using air ambulance, so that helicopters can be sent more often directly to the scene of serious accidents.
On the air of “Hello, Bulgaria“ on NOVA he commented on the case from yesterday near the village of Mokren, in which for the first time an air ambulance was used in a serious accident on the road, and not for transport between medical institutions or to hard-to-reach areas.
According to Benishev, the activation of air emergency assistance does not depend on an administrative decision of the Ministry of Health, but on a medical team at the Coordination Center of the Center for Emergency Medical Assistance by Air.
“The decision is made by doctors after a professional assessment of the situation, medical criteria and the possibilities for safe flight execution“, he explained.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that air assistance can be activated both by calling 112 and at the request of the ground teams of Emergency Assistance. He specified that in serious incidents, ground ambulances and helicopters can be activated simultaneously.
“These are not two separate systems that compete. They work together and in parallel“, said Benishev.
Regarding the accident on the “Trakia“ highway, in which the air ambulance was not used, he explained that initially there was readiness for takeoff, but subsequently information was received about a fuel spill and the need to first secure the site.
“At the 17th minute, the helicopter was already ready for takeoff with the engines running, but in the meantime information was received that the injured had already been transported by ground teams“, the deputy minister specified.
According to him, the air emergency assistance system is still developing and gaining experience. Currently, about 20% of all missions are so-called primary missions - directly to the scene of the incident, and the rest are secondary transports between medical facilities.
“Our ambition is that by the end of the year, primary missions will become significantly more and this will become a common practice“, Benishev emphasized.
He also announced that a permanent expert group is working at the Ministry of Health, which analyzes each air support mission and, if necessary, will propose changes to the regulatory framework.
“Practice shows us what we need to improve. If necessary, all regulations can be changed so that the system works more efficiently,“ he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, with the delivery of the last of the planned medical helicopters, the system will be able to deploy its full capacity and provide a faster response to serious incidents throughout the country.
“Time is crucial. We are striving to get closer to established European practices in this area as quickly as possible“, concluded Ivian Benishev.