The Health Ministry plans to advertise the call for bids for medical helicopters on 10 March 2021 so that it will establish air ambulance services by the beginning of the next summer, the Vecernji List daily reported on Friday.

The establishment of the air ambulance services the acronym of which in Croatian is HHMS will be on 1 July, and the HHMS will have four bases: in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek.

The project is estimated at 18 million euros, and the contract for that purpose will be signed with the provider of of medical helicopters for next three years.

HHMS medical transport will be made available around the clock. The cost will be estimated based on 4,500 hours of flights.

The bidders are expected to provide the ministry with the appropriate medical helicopters and pilots, whereas the ministry will assign the medical staff, that is doctors, nurses and technicians for this service.

Helicopters are expected to have the state-of-the-art equipment, no older than two years.