The first hospital heliport in Sofia is now registered according to HEMS requirements. It is located at UMBAL Sveta Anna and will be incorporated into the air ambulance system. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the handing over of the airport registration documents to the Executive Director of the medical institution Dr. Slavcho Bliznakov.
‘We will soon have a total of eight hospital heliports. We already have three registered sites in UMBAL Sveta Anna, Uni Hospital-Panagyurishte and UMBAL Sveta Marina-Varna. At the moment, DG Civil Aviation Administration is examining the documents of five more hospitals, two of which are in Sofia and one each in Ruse, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo,’ Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov said. He pointed out that for the system to be most effective there should be at least two receiving hospitals within the perimeter of each operating base.
Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov explained that an official confirmation has been received from the manufacturer of the medical helicopters Leonardo S.p.A. that the final tests of the machine are about to take place and on 31 January it will fly from Italy to Bulgaria. ‘It is important to stress that this will be done in good weather conditions to make the flight safe,’ the transport minister explained.
Deputy Minister of Health prof. Ilko Getov reminded that there are 26 medical institutions in the country that have received a targeted subsidy from the government for the construction of helipads and the adjacent communication infrastructure. The Air Emergency Medical Centre is already operational and three medical teams have been prepared to start on duty together with the flying teams after the arrival of the first helicopter. ‘The Ministry of Health continues to work hard to support emergency care in the country, both with equipment, teams and salaries, as well as training,’ prof. Getov assured.
The event was attended by the Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr. Petar Gribnev, the Director General of DG Civil Aviation Administration Anelia Marinova, the management of Bulgaria Heli Med Service EAD and others.
