Exclusive helidromes of two hospitals have no licenses and one still land helicopters

Helidromes near hospitals in Slavonski Brod and Karlovac are not certified helidromes, they have not been requested or issued an approval for the use of the airport (helidro), they discovered for 24 Hours from the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency.

They confirmed this to us after receiving information from well -sent sources that helidromes do not have licenses to work, although helicopters are neatly landed on Helidr in the Karlovac OB.

They state that, according to the Air Transport Act, the airport (Helidr) may be used in civilian air traffic if it has a valid approval or certificate of the airport they are issued, but Helidra in Karlovac is used, which is what the director of Karlovac Hospital Ivana Kovačić said for 24 hours.

– We have a usable permit and helidra can be used and used for the last three years – Kovacic told us.

The Croatian Civil Aviation Agency, however, points out that « the procedure for submission of requests and conditions for issuing the authorization is prescribed by the Ordinance on the issuing of the airport certificate and the approval for the use of the airport » and that « the implementation of the procedure and the issuance of the authorization for the use of Helidrome by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency is not charged. »

They also say that the assessment of the aforementioned infrastructure (surface) can be used as an « operational place » for HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) operations or as a location for an exceptional landing/take -off by the helicopter operators themselves.

Americans financed most of

Recall that on October 13, 2022, the Karlovac General Hospital was opened at the Karlovac General Hospital worth HRK 2,300,000 at the time, or € 306,666, of which the majority of the US donation (HRK 1.7 million), while the Republic of Croatia covered the costs of the project and VAT.

The then Director of the Karlovac OB, Nikša Antica, stated that the traffic and geostrategic position of Karlovac imposed the necessity of construction of helidrome, which, he said, would serve to care for emergency patients, the transport of transplant organs and the transport of staff and equipment in the case of mass accidents or disasters.

The US government donated money for a total of three helians – in Zagreb, Karlovac and Slavonski Brod.

On this occasion, the then job of the US Embassy in Zagreb, Mark Fleming, said that « Helidromes would help to perform medical activities 24 hours a day. »

– Half of the Croatian population will be able to reach one hour, and Karlovac Helidr will also use joint military exercises at the Polygon in Slunj – said Fleming.

As for the Helidroma of the General Hospital « Dr. Josip Benčević » in Slavonski Brod, he was officially opened on February 28 this year, but is not used yet. It is an investment in which $ 940 thousand has been invested, and the amount is ultimately higher when additional investment is included at the national level.

– General Hospital ‘Dr. Josip Benčević ‘, with the aim of obtaining an approval for the use of Helidrome from the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency, has initiated a simple procurement procedure to create the documentation required to certify helidrome. The simple procurement procedure was completed and undergoing a contract with the selected bidder, Macula Aero Doo, which is authorized to produce the study and the obtaining of the approval in question – answered Zdravko Janeš, head of the Technical Activity and Informatics Service Slavonski Brod.

At the opening, it was said that Helidr is located south of the surgery building, with a united urgent hospital reception, and that its seven -meter height allows for a safe landing and departure of helicopters, even in night conditions. Along the platform is a lift that patients directly transport to OHBP, a central place to receive life -threatening patients. The proximity of the emergency admission means that the patients from the helicopter will be within the hospital system within a few minutes, which is crucial for timely medical care, the opening was said.

They opened it solemnly, not working

At the ceremony of the completion of the works, the director of the hospital, Asst. prim. Ph.D. Josip Samardzic emphasized that the construction of Helidroma confirms the constant care for the improvement of health care and that the hospital was recognized as a place of excellence and education in emergency medicine. He thanked the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Health, the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine and the US Embassy for their support and pointed out that this project further increases the hospital’s ability to care for urgent cases according to the highest standards.

The U.S. Embassy employees in the Republic of Croatia, Richard Trey Lyons, pointed out that this project is confirmed by a strong partnership of Croatia and the US, based on joint values ​​and cooperation.

– Your tireless effort ensures that those who need help get the care they deserve – said Lyons, expressing the belief that the new helicopter landing zone would be a valuable tool in their work.

Helidr in Slavonski Brod is part of the broader establishment of an emergency helicopter medical service, which includes four helicopter bases in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek. The Mayor of Brod-Posavina County, Ph.D. Danijel Marusic, Director of the Croatian Emergency Medicine Institute, Maja Grba-Bujevic, representatives of the Institute for Emergency Medicine of Brod-Posavina County and numerous employees of the General Hospital « Dr. Josip Benčević ». Everyone emphasized that Helidr will significantly improve emergency medical care in Slavonia and Posavina, especially given the fact that Slavonski Brod is located at an important traffic junction, where severe traffic accidents are common, but despite being open is not in use.