Polish Regions Get Ambulance Help From EU

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Poland’s regional authorities to seek increased independence from centralized procurement and acquire new ambulances with funds provided by the European Union. 

In early 2020, shortly before the pandemic’s outbreak, Wojciech Andrusiewicz, spokesperson for the Polish Minister of Health, said the ministry was determined to accelerate purchases of new ambulances for the country’s EMS stations, which are funded by the state. At that time the ministry forecasted that, as a result of the program, the average age of Polish ambulances would be lowered by some 2.5 years. 

However, with the pandemic putting additional strain on the country’s state-dominated healthcare system, Polish regions are increasingly taking the initiative to modernize and upgrade their respective EMS capacities and overhaul their own ambulance fleets. To replace their outdated ambulances with new vehicles, the country’s regions reach out directly to the European Commission and complement the obtained funds with their own money to advance procurements.

Refugee Relief

Earlier this year, the southern region of Podkarpacie supplied three new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter ambulances for its EMS station partly owing to funds obtained from the 27-member bloc. In addition to the EU allocation, the project was also financed by regional authorities and the city of Rzeszów, Podkarpacie’s capital and largest city. 

The regional authorities said in a statement that the purchased vehicles were fitted with modern EMS equipment, including special devices that accelerate their disinfection. 

Podkarpacie is located in the country’s southeastern part, on the Polish-Ukrainian border. In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, many of the region’s EMS workers have been deployed to the border to bring relief to the war’s victims. New ambulances will contribute to these activities, allowing Podkarpacie’s EMS to devote additional resources to the victims of Russia’s military aggression.

Bariatric Ambulance

In other parts of the country, Poland’s central region of Mazovia has purchased 30 new Volkswagen Crafter and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles for the region’s EMS stations, spending some PLN 25.5 million (US $5.7 million) on type B (emergency) and C (mobile intensive care units) ambulances. 

The acquired vehicles include the first bariatric ambulance to be used by EMS in Poland’s capital of Warsaw, a city with a population of close to 1.8 million. The vehicle was delivered to an EMS station in the city last February after it was purchased for about PLN 800,000 (US $180,000), the Mazovia region’s authorities said in a statement. 

“Taking into consideration the ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus, this purchase of new ambulances is of particular importance, as healthcare institutions are responsible for ensuring the transport of patients infected with COVID-19, and EMS, also as part of their interventions, are very often exposed to infected patients,” the regional authorities said.

“To ensure an efficient provision of [aid] to infected patients, whose lives are often at grave risk, it is indispensable to provide them with transportation through modern, properly equipped ambulances. The acquisition of 30 ambulances will significantly impact on the quality of the services provided to patients, and it will also increase the safety and comfort of the professional activities of the EMS personnel,” according to the statement. 

In addition to Warsaw, which will operate 20 of the purchased vehicles, the acquired ambulances will bolster the EMS stations in Ostrołęka, Radom, Płock, Maków Mazowiecki, Siedlce, Ciechanów, Ozienice, Wyszków, Sochaczew, Sierpc, Nowe Miasto, and Pułtusk, the regional authorities said.

The procurement was financed by the EU-funded Regional Operational Program for the Mazovia region in the years 2014–2020. The bloc has provided a total of PLN 315 million (US $70.3 million) to the region’s fight against the pandemic, complemented by some PLN 30 million (US $6.7 million) of Mazovia’s own funds.

Meanwhile, Poland’s region of Wielkopolska, located on Poland’s border with Germany, recently purchased 20 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter ambulances under a PLN 12.2 million (US $2.7 million) program, also carried out with the EU’s backing. 

The type C vehicles were delivered to the regional EMS station in Poznań, Wielkopolska’s capital and largest city, with a population of about 540,000. With the acquisition the station was able to replace as much as 80% of its ambulance fleet with new vehicles, according to data from the regional authorities.

“Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, our ambulances have traveled more than 3.5 million kilometers (2.2 million miles),” said Marcin Zielinski, the station’s director.

Zielinski said that in addition to their mileage, the station’s ambulances were also increasingly subjected to the need to intensify their decontamination.

The 20 purchased vehicles were fitted with a wide range of medical equipment, including vacuum mattresses, capnographs, orthopedic boards, landing net stretchers, orthopedic vests, transport respirators, medical backpacks, stretchers, defibrillators, cardiological chairs, portable thermometers, and syringe pumps, according to the regional authorities.

Data from Poland’s state-run central vehicles registry indicates that as of 2019, 1386 ambulances were registered in Poland under different categories. Taking into consideration the country’s population of close to 38 million, this translates into a ratio of one ambulance per roughly 27,400 inhabitants.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is a freelance writer based in Warsaw, Poland.