site.btaBulgaria's Third Medical Helicopter Expected to Arrive from Italy by Week's End

The third medical helicopter Bulgaria expects from Italy is ready to depart from Brindisi when the weather conditions permit, the Centre for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) said on Facebook on Tuesday.  That is expected to happen by the end of this week.

The helicopter will first fly to Thessaloniki, Greece, and from there will land directly at the HEMS regional base in Sliven (South Central Bulgaria).

Italian manufacturer Leonardo has already delivered two medical helicopters to Bulgaria. A full system of eight helicopters is planned to be available by April 2026, Bulgaria Heli Med Service Executive Director Dimcho Dobrev said in June 2024.

The HEMS Centre teams carried out 16 missions in the January 1 - March 21 period, all for patients in grave condition. Of these, 14 were carried out from one hospital to another, and two were from the site of the accident to a hospital. Most patients needed emergency medical assistance after a traffic accident, a fall from high altitude, a work accidents, and others. The youngest patient was a five-month-old baby and the oldest, a 74-year-old.

All missions were successful thanks to the coordination and joint efforts of all participants in the process: Bulgaria Heli Med Service, the centres for emergency medical assistance, hospitals and their teams, the post reads.