Government air force squadron will provide the emergency air assistance free of charge

The government air force squadron will take over the provision of emergency medical assistance by air, the Council of Ministers decided.

"The government air force has many years of experience, it is the right structure that needs to be upgraded and perform this service," said the caretaker Minister of Transport Hristo Alexiev on February 22.

He pointed out that the state does not have time for experiments, since this issue is about the health and lives of people. Emergency medical assistance by air will be available to every citizen and will be free of charge.

It is important to know that the implementation of the HEMS service is not just the delivery of helicopters, but also the training of the flight crew, medical teams, etc.

It has been decided to purchase 6 helicopters from the Italian company Leonardo. The first helicopter will be in Bulgaria in December, and the rest by 2025. The funds have been provided under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, caretaker health Minister Assen Medzhidiev said.

The training of medical specialists will begin in the coming days.