A new helpline will be created in Slovakia under the responsibility of the Emergency Medical Service Operations Center (EMS) of the Slovak Republic. The helpline 116117 will be used for non-urgent situations to relieve the burden on the emergency line 155. New types of rescue crews will also be created, with new indication criteria for filtering calls. This follows from the amendment to the Act on Emergency Medical Services, which was signed by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini on Wednesday.
The helpline with the number 116117 will be used to resolve less urgent health problems that do not require immediate intervention by the emergency service, such as health consultations, recommendations for a suitable medical facility or the organization of planned inter-clinic transports.
The proposal for a new helpline is justified by the fact that 20 percent of events reported to the 155 line are assessed as not requiring an ambulance. New types of crews are intended to expand the possibilities of operational management of the EMS. A new type will be a hybrid emergency medical assistance crew, where a crew with a doctor works during the day and without a doctor during the night.
The amended law is to be effective from April 15.
Source: TASR
