When it comes to life-saving interventions, every minute counts. Investments such as the construction of a medical air rescue base in Kokotów allow medical services to maintain the standard of the so-called "golden hour" between an incident and the start of specialist treatment.

“It is a place from where very quickly, within as little as 3 minutes, a helicopter can take off and go to various remote places, rescuing children and adults in circumstances of natural disasters but above all accidents,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

The creation of modern emergency facilities would not have been possible without the support of government funds, which account for 60% of the total investment. Thanks to this, the newly created facilities will meet the highest standards of functionality.

Nearly 800 interventions per year

The recent increase in severe weather conditions could lead to a tragedy. The Government Centre for Security regularly sends text messages and information to the inhabitants of individual voivodeships. Only last year, the team of the Medical Air Rescue in the Małopolskie Voivodeship performed nearly 800 interventions. That means more than two helicopter rescue operations every day.

“At a time like this, when these destructive gales are sweeping through Poland, the time of arrival of help is counted in minutes, sometimes in seconds. That is why we are expanding our base so that people can receive help as quickly as possible. When help is needed in a place distant from Kraków, for example 50-80 km away, it is much faster to get there by helicopter,” noted the head of the government.

During his visit to the Małopolska Voivodeship, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also attended a meeting of the Crisis Management Team at the Voivodeship Office in Kraków.

Further road investments 

The creation of the new Medical Air Rescue base is accompanied by the construction and modernisation of the adjacent road infrastructure, such as the bridge over the Serafa River, completed in January 2022. The PLN 5 million investment would not have been possible without government support of nearly PLN 4 million.

Assistance provided throughout the country

The Medical Air Rescue operates from 21 permanent bases located throughout the country. Helicopter emergency medical teams are stationed at each of them.
A Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Team includes a pilot, a paramedic/nurse and a physician. The tasks they carry out include:
●    emergency medical services (provision of assistance to victims of emergencies);
●    transport of patients requiring medical care between treatment facilities;
●    medical transport of patients from outside the country (e.g. transport of citizens of our country, victims of accidents or sudden illnesses, to Poland);
●    medical transport of patients outside the country.