In 2019, 19 hospitals provided emergency medical care. In 2019, 518,840 persons turned to Emergency Department (ED), i.e. an average of 1,422 persons a day. The total number of patients who visited the ED remained at the same level in 2019 compared to 2018. The number of emergency patients had increased in regional hospitals by 1.4% and decreased in central, general and local hospitals – 1.7% and 1% respectively. Most patients of emergency care were sent home after first aid (81%) and one fifth of patients remained in hospital (see figure).
As in the previous years, patients turned to ED mostly themselves (73.6% of patients). 19.2% of patients were brought to emergency care by ambulance car, 5.2% were referred from other medical institutions. The rest, about 2% of patients, were brought by the police, called back by ED if, for example, the patient's health condition had worsened, or a recurring procedure was needed, or hospital's own healthcare staff needed emergency care.
In 2019 the number of emergency patients who brought by an ambulance had increased by 1.6% compared to 2018. The number of patients who brought by an ambulance had increased in regional and central hospitals by 3.9% and 1.8% respectively and decreased in general and local hospitals by 2%.
The data about emergency medical care of 2019 is published in the Health Statistics and Health Research Database.