After a young man had died on Sunday in the central Croatian town of Zapresic when a doctor was not present in an ambulance that came for him after he had fainted in the street, the Health Ministry reported on Monday they had immediately sent a health inspection to Zapresic.

“According to preliminary report from the Emergency Medicine Institute, everything was done in line with regulations. We express our condolences to the family of the deceased,” the Ministry said in a press release.

The 22-year-old had fainted in the street on Sunday afternoon, and he passed away upon the ambulance’s arrival. Only a medical technician and a nurse were present in the vehicle, and witnesses on the scene said there were no defibrillators in the ambulance either.

There is only one doctor working in the Emergency Room in Zapresic, and he was unavailable at the time. Another ambulance came to the scene from the nearby town of Jaska, but it was too late.

“This proves that the emergency health service isn’t well organised, and, unfortunately, it led to a loss of a young life,” Zapresic Mayor Zeljko Turk said on N1’s Novi Dan morning programme on Monday.

He added that the City requested exact information on the circumstances of the man’s death, as well as confirmation that there was no doctor available and whether the ambulance had all the necessary equipment.

“We haven’t received the written response yet, but it seems to be the truth,”Turk said.

He also said he did not feel personally responsible for the tragedy because he had no influence on the way the Emergency Service is organised.

The police confirmed to the 24sata news portal that the investigation into the young man’s death was ongoing.

The Emergency Health Services organisation system in Croatia is divided into two emergency teams, T1 and T2. The T1 team is made up of an emergency medicine specialist and a nurse or a technician. The T2 team is made up only of a nurse of a technician. Although they are supposed to have undergone specialist training, it has become apparent that such a system is not sustainable in practice, the national broadcaster HRT reported.

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