The Minister of Health, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Silvi Kirilov, presented the progress on building a national air emergency medical assistance system during a working meeting with European representatives. The delegation, led by Director General Celine Gower, visited St. Catherine Hospital and inspected the constructed helicopter landing sites.
As part of a large-scale investment project, Bulgaria plans to build six modern helicopter bases in strategic regions of the country. Currently, three medical helicopters are in operation, with two additional helicopters expected to arrive by the end of the year.
A key moment in the project is the signing of a contract with the Italian company Leonardo AD for the delivery of a total of eight medical air vehicles. The contract includes not only the delivery of helicopters, but also full warranty service and specialized training for medical crews.
"Thanks to European funds and the Recovery and Resilience Plan, Bulgaria is approaching the best European practices in emergency assistance organization," Minister Kirilov emphasized. To date, the Air Emergency Medical Assistance Center teams have completed 94 successful missions.
Supplementary Agreement No. 2 provides for the delivery of two more helicopters in 2026. The Ministry expressed gratitude for the excellent coordination between the Ministry of Transport and Bulgaria Heli Med Service.
The project is emerging as key to improving emergency medical assistance and reducing response time in critical situations in various regions of the country.