EMS Angels Awards were presented to six EMS centers in Croatia on the occasion of the annual Croatian National Emergency Medical Service Day celebration on 30 April.
The event took place in Karlovac, a city located at the convergence of four rivers – the Kupa, Korana, Dobra, and Mrežnica – about 56 km southwest of the capital, Zagreb.
Croatian National Emergency Medical Service Day was established by the Croatian Parliament in 2013 to highlight the crucial work of pre-hospital emergency responders.
In Karlova on 30 April, the celebration featured a display of emergency medical service vehicles and equipment, alongside a a special program for professionals and the general public, including educational content, a demonstration of teamwork, and a simulation exercise.
It culminated in the official ceremony, where Prim. MSc Maja Grba-Bujević, Director of the Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine, presented Certificates of Appreciation to acknowledge outstanding collaboration and contributions.
This year marked a major milestone at the national level as pre-notification of acute stroke patients in the prehospital phase has become mandatory, Angels consultant Maria Sheverdina said. “This represents a significant step forward in improving stroke care pathways and patient outcomes. The process has been fully integrated into the national e-Hitna system.
“In addition, all EMS centers are now completing the Angels EMS Award Quality Monitoring Table, which has been incorporated into internal systems, and also submit data to the RES-Q registry starting from Q1 2026.”
These achievements, which represent significant progress in Croatia in the prehospital field, were made possible by the strong support of the Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine, particularly Saša Balija, Assistant Director for Quality Management, and Prim. MSc Maja Grba-Bujević, Maria said.
Quarter-one recipients of EMS Angels Award who were honored during the event, included the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Zagreb County (gold), the Teaching Institute of Emergency Medicine of the City of Zagreb (platinum), and the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Zadar County (platinum). The Institute of Emergency Medicine of Karlovac County and Institute of Emergency Medicine of Koprivnica-Križevci County both received diamond awards, while the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Primorje-Gorski Kotar collected its fifth consecutive diamond award.
