Project acronym: EMERGENCY EuroRegion (797.713,73 EUR ERDF)
Lead Partner: Splošna bolnišnica Izola / Ospedale generale di Isola
Project Partners: Opća bolnica Pula, Zavod za hitnu medicinu Istarske županije, Zdravstveni dom Izola / Casa della sanita Isola
The cross-border area of the Istria County and the Coastal–Karst Region presents a challenge to the providers of emergency medical service (EMS) of delivering an efficient emergency medical service for all residents and visitors of the cross-border area. Cross-border cooperation among health institutions in the area of emergency medical service is practically non-existent. This results in unequal access of the population to emergency medical service and sub-optimal provision of emergency medical service. The potential for institutional cross-border cooperation in the area of emergency medical service is not fully utilized, so the main common goal of the project is to establish a sustainable network of key medical institutions in the area of emergency medical service in the cross-border region. The realization of the project objective is also expected to narrow the gap in the accessibility to optimum emergency medical service between the countryside and urban centres.
The first main direct effect of the project is the EMS network in the cross-border area, which will include Izola General Hospital, Institute of Emergency Medicine of Istria County, Pula General Hospital, and Rescue Service of Slovenian Istria of the Izola health care centre, supported by several associated partners. The EMS network will facilitate the development and long-term implementation of the innovative common model for providing optimum emergency medical service to patients at risk in the cross-border area, including medically specific cases and mass accidents. As a result, a new, common protocol of cross-border transport of life-threatened patients will be developed. The project will meet the required pre-conditions for the implementation of DEMONSTRATION activities related to the protocol (heliport construction, purchase of ambulance). Finally, the new common cross-border protocol will be introduced into regular work processes of the EMS network.
The other direct effect of the project is represented by the personnel involved in the EMS network with improvements and simplified competences for providing emergency health care. The knowledge and skills of 325 employees in the EMS network, required for early actions when a patient is at serious risk, will be upgraded with certified classes. 50 employees in the network will be qualified to prepare a patient for helicopter transport. People in the cross-border area, who may suddenly fall ill and/or get seriously injured, will directly benefit from unified and improved capacity of workers within the EMS network.
Solving the cross-border issue will not only benefit the population in the cross-border region, but also health workers, since the project will enable them to manage emergency medical services in a professional, quality and simplified manner, with all project partners included.
