February 23 (SeeNews) - The government said that it has decided to close down Bulgaria Heli Med Services, a state-owned company established to deliver emergency medical services by helicopter.
Flights for the needs of emergency medical care will be conducted by the Special Purpose Aviation Operator (SAO), the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
The SAO, a governmental agency which transports by air key state officials such as the president and the prime minister, will provide emergency medical services to the public for free, with the state covering the costs.
Bulgaria Heli Med Services, established in 2022, has launched a 1.76 million euro ($1.65 million) tender for hiring an emergency medical services helicopter as Bulgaria still does not own any. The tender attracted offers from two companies - Belgian airline operator Heliventure FTO and Slovakia's Air Transport Trading - but was delayed by local firm Welink which contested the procedure.
Bulgaria Heli Med Services was at the final stage of signing an agreement and making a medical helicopter available in Bulgaria in May, Heli Med's managing director Georgi Gvozdeykov said in a social media post on Wednesday. The state, however, blocked the realisation of the idea, Gvozdeykov claimed.
In parallel, the health ministry said on Wednesday that it finalised a separate procedure to acquire six medical helicopters from Italian aerospace and defence company Leonardo, with the first aircraft expected in December.
($ = 0.9387 euro)