HEMS

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) ensures high-quality, rapid, and accessible emergency medical care for all citizens and visitors of the Republic of Croatia whose lives are directly threatened or whose health is severely compromised. It provides timely access to hospitals and contributes to improving health outcomes for patients.
The establishment of HEMS was preceded by a professional feasibility study, market analysis, and review of best practices from other European Union member states with experience in procuring HEMS services from civilian operators. With the technical assistance of the European Commission, Croatia has established a model for HEMS operating from four bases – Rijeka, Split, Osijek, and Zagreb, effectively covering the entire territory of Croatia, including islands, remote, and rural areas. HEMS services in the continental part of Croatia are available during daylight hours, while in the Adriatic region, as of July 1, 2024, they will be available 24 hours a day.
The HEMS services provider in Croatia is the consortium consisting of EliFriulia S.p.A., Eliance Helicopter Global Services SL, and Eli-Adriatik d.o.o., selected on the basis of an international public tender. The Ministry of Health, as the holder of this strategic project for the Republic of Croatia, concluded seven-year contracts with the mentioned consortium for all four helicopter bases worth 62.5 million euros, part of which was co-financed by the European Union.
By implementing the HEMS into the Croatian healthcare system, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine and the European Commission, has achieved the goal in accordance with the specified timelines from the Government Program of the Republic of Croatia 2020-2024, the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2030, and the National Healthcare Development Plan 2021-2027.
Until the establishment of the civil HEMS, which functions as a supplement to the terrestrial and maritime out-of-hospital emergency medical service, emergency air helicopter transport in the Republic of Croatia was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior. The longstanding interdepartmental cooperation has continued further.