HRK 1.5 mn earmarked for medical teams on Adriatic during season

The Ministry of Tourism will once again cofinance additional medical teams in tourist destinations in the peak season and has earmarked HRK 1.5 million for that purpose, it was said on Tuesday at a ceremony when agreements on cofinancing were signed with county representatives of the most prominent tourism destinations.

Of the total of HRK 1.5 million, nearly HRK 456,000 will go to Istria County and HRK 316,000 will help finance additional medical teams in Split-Dalmatia County. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County will receive HRK 270,000, followed by Zadar County (HRK 180,000), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (HRK 125,500), Sibenik-Knin County (HRK 103,000) and Lika-Senj county (50,300).

"The security aspect is a very important part of tourism as are medical teams...all this is to help make Croatia a safe destination," Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said, adding that he has insisted for some time now for a solution for a helicopter medical service, particularly for the islands and hopes that a solution will be found by the summer.

He explained that since 2008 to date the ministry had set aside almost HRK 19 million to co-finance medical teams.

"This year we will have 20 teams on the road that will be dispatched at more than 20 locations in the seven counties," the director of Croatia's Institute for Emergency Medicine, Maja Grba-Bujevic said.

She said that last year between 1 June and 30 September, medical teams in these counties attended to 168,000 cases which was 58% more than in the first four months of that year.

The most frequent interventions during the summer are related to heart attacks, migraines and dizziness. She added that 564 people were attended to by medical air assistance during the tourism season, 70% of those patients suffered heart attacks. (Hina)

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