– We have four ambulances in our fleet. Two were replaced in 2016–2017 thanks to a grant from the voivodeship office – says Kamil Barczyk, director of SP ZOZ in Bolesławiec. – Now we will purchase a third ambulance. Our emergency medical teams cover 180,000 kilometers a year. Two motorways run through the county, and an enormous number of accidents occur on them. That is why we must be ready to help sick residents throughout the county and also secure accident victims in the shortest possible time.
– The ambulance replacement program means that new vehicles will go not only to major metropolitan areas but also to smaller emergency medical stations – emphasizes Waldemar Kraska, deputy health minister. – An ambulance must reach every patient in the shortest possible time, whether in the capital or in a small village. We want ambulances that often operate in extreme conditions and very difficult terrain not to serve for more than five years. After that time, they should be replaced without exception. They are to be modernly equipped ambulances with trained and experienced crews on board.
Tomasz Gabrysiak, the Bolesławiec county executive, explains:
Bolesławiec County is the second-largest county in Lower Silesia by area. Ambulances have to travel genuinely long distances. The hospital serves nearly 90,000 residents. In addition, there are U.S. troops stationed at four locations in the county. We have two military units: in Bolesławiec and Świętoszów. Additionally, 5,000–7,000 foreigners work in our area.
And he adds:
Thanks to the purchase of the new ambulance, 75 percent of the emergency medical teams’ fleet will, in my opinion, meet European standards.