By: Nova24tv.si
Slovenia indeed needs helicopter emergency medical assistance with specialised rescue helicopters, but the question is whether this requires the involvement of Denis Avdić and Tina Gaber. That is exactly what happened, and now it has turned out that the purchase of two helicopters is yet another theatre of the absurd from this government and once again a case of mismanagement of public funds.
Let us recall that in May of last year, Denis Avdić called the partner of Prime Minister Robert Golob, Tina Gaber, live on a radio show, suggesting that she “mention the helicopters to her partner in the evening”. Gaber then handed the phone to Golob, who discussed the issue raised during the show, and shortly thereafter, the matter began to progress.
The Ministry of the Interior, led by Boštjan Poklukar, issued a tender for the purchase of two helicopters for emergency medical services (EMS), but it is allegedly unsuitable and primarily intended to complement the police fleet. The NSi party even suspects that some criteria in the tender were tailored to favour a specific supplier. Due to suspicions of an uneconomical purchase, NSi is calling for an urgent session of the National Assembly’s Public Finance Oversight Commission, as the tender is worth a substantial 50 million euros.
Overpriced helicopters?
“In 2021, we purchased a multipurpose AW169 helicopter for 15 million euros. Today, representatives explained that the published tender involves buying comparable or identical helicopters for 25 million euros each. They are buying two. An additional one or two million euros will be paid for medical equipment. Even Zoran Janković would seem like an apprentice in comparison,” remarked Aleš Hojs.
Inadequate helicopters
The two helicopters, which will cost taxpayers nearly 50 million euros, will be multipurpose, Jernej Vrtovec explained. This means they will be used both for emergency medical services and for police needs. However, such helicopters are already part of the police fleet, so the purchase of two more will not significantly improve the quality of EMS, he warned. The multipurpose helicopters will provide much worse conditions for injured and critically ill patients, as well as for rescue teams, Vrtovec argued. “The helicopters will only have mounting points for medical equipment. We are buying helicopters without essential medical equipment,” criticised the NSi MP. Furthermore, the tender does not even include a system for transporting incubators for newborns. This means that rescue teams will have to manually load incubators into the helicopter each time.
On the other hand, Vrtovec pointed out that the tender includes numerous requirements for equipment needed for police operations. Among these are mounting points for attaching rope barriers, eight additional removable seats, and police communication equipment. “If the helicopter is intended for rescuing severely injured individuals, it needs beds, not narrow seats for transporting passengers or police officers performing routine operations,” Vrtovec stated. According to him, the helicopters specified in the tender will not have skids but wheels, which will make landing on wet or snowy terrain more difficult.
The tender conditions also do not require protection for the helicopter rotor, which is essential for ensuring the safety of patients and rescue workers. The helicopters will be painted in police colours rather than in the colours of medical rescue vehicles, which, according to Vrtovec, violates European standards. “In preparing materials for the urgent session, numerous experts in EMS operations warned us about the 16-month delivery timeline and raised suspicions that some criteria in the tender documentation were tailored to a specific supplier,” Vrtovec added.
The story of purchasing two multipurpose helicopters once again highlights issues with public administration under Golob’s government. Instead of taking a strategic approach to ensuring high-quality EMS, we are witnessing political theatrics and questions about the misuse of public funds. The involvement of influential individuals like Denis Avdić and Tina Gaber in processes that require professionalism, and careful consideration further undermines public trust.