The Slovak Republic extends international cooperation with the Republic of Austria to the area of emergency health services in order to ensure the best access to healthcare for citizens of both countries in the border area. Today's signing of the Framework Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Austria on cross-border cooperation in the field of emergency health services in the Slovak Republic, which will be forwarded to the President of the Slovak Republic and subsequently submitted to the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The process will be completed by ratification, after which the Framework Treaty will enter into force.
Both sides have the same goal - to help and cooperate in saving human lives. The provision of a health emergency service (ECS) is a fundamental pillar of the health system in each State. The ZZS network must be organised in such a way as to ensure that pre-hospital emergency healthcare is available and provided within a certain time limit from the receipt of the emergency call.
Time availability is one of the reasons for establishing cooperation between the emergency health services of neighbouring states. The scope for closer international cooperation has also been shown by the increasing mobility of people between both States, as well as by the requirement of continuous improvement in the quality, safety and accessibility of healthcare.
After many years of bilateral negotiations and following the Resolution of the Government of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic submitted Proposal for the conclusion of the Framework Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Austria on cross-border cooperation in the field of emergency health services establishing a legal framework for closer international cooperation between both countries, with a determination to facilitate and promote international cooperation, in particular by concluding cooperation agreements at regional level. The purpose is thus to ensure the best possible availability of emergency health services for the inhabitants of both countries. Slovak ambulances would if necessary, and under well-defined conditions, intervened in Austria and Austrian ambulances again in Slovakia.

Unhindered health care at the point of intervention and the transport of a natural person at risk of life or health to an appropriate medical facility will be provided on the basis of an evaluation of the emergency call and the request of the Contracting Party. This is the historically first presidential international health agency contract to allow intervention in the most serious situations, in the event of a mass disability event or a critical situation of a person. stated Michal Štofko, State Secretary of the Slovak Republic.
The Treaty in question applies to the border territory of the Bratislava and Trnava self-governing regions in the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Austria to the Federal States of Lower Austria, Burgenland and Vienna.
Although cross-border cooperation with the Republic of Austria is historically the first contract of this nature, a similar contract is currently being prepared in the field of emergency services with the Czech Republic.