Prague, March 9 (CTK) – The Czech Health Ministry may put up a tender for the air rescue service in six regions on the conditions agreed on by the government yesterday, Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek (Social Democrats, CSSD) has told journalists.
In the remaining four regions, the service will be provided by the military and police, Nemecek said, adding that the ministry has estimated the value of the order at 1.2 billion crowns.
The public order will be put up for four years, starting on January 1, 2017.
In the course of a sharp debate on the conditions of the tender, the government partners agreed that due to the lower costs, only the state will be in charge of the helicopters of the rescue service in the future.
However, due to the current contracts with the private companies Alfa-Helicopter and DSA, it is impossible to make the change immediately.
Under the contracts from 2008 valued at 3.128 billion crowns, helicopters are flying for patients from eight private bases. They are in Ostrava, Olomouc, Brno, Jihlava, Liberec, Ceske Budejovice, Hradec Kralove and Usti nad Labem.
In Prague, the service is provided by the interior and defence ministries.
($1=24.541 crowns)
