site.btaUPDATED Health Minister Proud to Present First Bulgarian Helicopter Emergency Medical Services

Health Minister Hristo Hinkov Friday officially presented the first Bulgarian Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) at the Border Police airbase at Sofia Airport. He expressed his satisfaction with "a job well done on the way to the most important mission - the health of the Bulgarian citizens". 

He also expressed confidence that the opportunities that medical air transport will provide will take Bulgaria's emergency care system to a new high-quality level. Modern technologies and professionally trained pilots, medical teams and operators will contribute to this, Hinkov said. They will coordinate and carry out the transportation of patients, equipment, blood, organs and medicines, he added.

The helicopter is the first of six in total. According to the schedule, the second helicopter, scheduled for the operational base in Dolna Mitropolia, northern Bulgaria, should arrive at the end of June 2024, and the third machine, which will be available at the operational base in Sliven, east central Bulgaria, is expected in December. The remaining air ambulances will arrive in stages until 2026.

At the Border Police airbase at Sofia Airport, where the helicopter is temporarily deployed, were also

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov and other officials were also present at the event.

Denkov told participants that this is just the beginning of air emergency services in Bulgaria. He expressed hope that the initiative will be successful and in a couple of years become standard here as it is in other European countries. 

The prime minister expressed his gratitude to the European Commission (EC) and its institutions for financing a large part of the project, along with co-financing from Bulgaria's state budget.

He also thanked the manufacturers from the Leonardo consortium for managing the first task on time, adding that by the end of this year Bulgaria will have two more such machines to save lives.