Karell ambulance
AS Karell Kiirabi began the activity on April 30, 2001 at 16:00, when in Lasnamäe region of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on Osmusaare Street in the building of the Nissan center, 2 medical crews, for rendering an emergency medical service to inhabitants of Tallinn, were organized and ready to provide first emergency aid.
It was preceded by a long and hard preparatory work, which was carried out by Urmas Piir, the head of ESS Kiirabi AS operating at that time and head nurse Ave Põlluaas. At present moment Ava Põlluaas is the head of service of an emergency medical service and is a part of Karell Kiirabi AS board.
The beginning was not simple, a lot of energy has been left to prove, that the so-called private ambulance is capable to provide emergency medical service on the same basis and possible even on better levels than hospitals, target establishments and the other organizations with different forms of business did. At the present, in Estonia, nearly a half of the organizations rendering service of an emergency medical aid, are joint-stock companies.
During this time our service changed names – at first ESS Pääste, after became Falck Pääste, then we became part of G4S and now we carry the name- Karell Kiirabi AS.
In the fall of 2001, ESS Kiirabi organized an "ambulance" station around Õismäe. Therefore our territory of service was finally created: Tallinn and its vicinities, i.e. a half of the region of Lasnamäe from Smuuli Road to the east to which adjoin Piirita, Viimsi, Jõelahtme and Rae, and also the city of Maardu and the Harku adjacent to Õismäe. If necessary we served patients in the areas situated further from Tallinn, as it was demanded by North Estonian Center of Rescue.
We have close connection with such hospitals as Ida-and Lääne-Tallinna Keskhaigla, generally with Põhja-Eesti Regionaalhaigla, and also Tallinna Lastehaigla – in these medical institutions we hospitalize the main part of patients in need, and we receive from them positive feedbacks, about quality of rendering the pre-hospital help. From the very beginning of our activity we cooperate with the Tallinn management of social security and health care. The Department, which has begun at that time, the activity of health care (Tervishoiuamet), at the moment Health Board (Terviseamet).
With the beginning of two crews, and then with addition of third one in Õismäe,in 2004 we organized the first nursery crews which quickly justified itself. In our days two crews are directed by our skilled nurses and by nurses from large medical institutions with a wide experience in emergency medicine. In total over fifty experts of emergency medical care work for us – doctors, nurses and technicians of an emergency medical service.
In 2011 and 2012 our three crews received the quantity of calls in a year exceeded 16 000 and is tended to growth.
From only 2001 to 2012 of Karell Kiirabi AS assisted 169 658 patients, from which 19 829 children up to15 years old. During this time 63 635 patients, i.e. 37,5% from total of patients are hospitalized.
During those years, a great job on quality, ensuring rendering an emergency medical service, has been done. Therefore support and trust to Karell Kiirabi AS was created from the population, and we are considered now as a natural and advanced component of Estonian emergency medical service. With service offered by us the majority of patients are happy, also mutual misunderstanding with patients or their relatives we have solved in a form accepted for both parties.
The result of the open hold competition of an emergency medical service in 2014, became a big recognition to us, when the Health Board recognized us worthy to render emergency medical service in the service territory to Harju-Viru and part of the territory Virumaa. In total 18 crews of an emergency medical service which bring us new, wider prospects will settle down there. We have the trained personnel, transport, rooms and the equipment to be capable to cover this territory with a modern network of an emergency medical service.