The central event marking the national day of emergency medical service workers, which has been observed since 2013, was held in Sisak on Saturday, with speakers announcing a motion to adopt relevant regulations and recognise an accelerated retirement plan for emergency medical service workers.

The past two years were very demanding and challenging for workers of the Emergency Medical Service, and for those in Sisak-Moslavina County they were additionally difficult due to the 2020 earthquake, it was said.

The head of the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, Maja Grba-Bujevic, said that it is well-known that difficult working conditions and stress affect a worker’s working life as well as life expectancy, while emergency medical service tasks are increasingly demanding, which is why the number of employees has doubled in recent years.

She spoke of the professionalism and selflessness of emergency medical teams during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that a survey of nine countries put Croatia on a par with France in terms of efficiency and competence.

To make the service even more efficient, nine boats were procured for emergency situations on the islands, Grba-Bujevic said, calling for the establishment of an own helicopter emergency service, noting that so far cooperation with the army and police had been good in that regard.