On the occasion of Emergency Medical Services Day, 80 ambulance workers from Hajdú-Bihar County received recognition for their outstanding professional work. At a ceremony held in the ceremonial hall of the Debrecen Reformed College, Dr. Éva Preisz was given a special award for her more than 50 years of service in emergency patient care.
Ferenc Korcsmáros, regional director of the National Ambulance Service, said that last year in Hajdú-Bihar, 81,000 rescue tasks were carried out, ambulance vehicles travelled more than 3.5 million kilometres, and 39,000 people were treated within the on-call system. He added that developments worth nearly 500 million forints have been implemented at ambulance stations in the county.
Deputy Mayor Diána Széles stated that there are currently 53 life-saving points operating in the county equipped with defibrillators and trained staff, and efforts are underway to further expand the network. The goal is for as many people as possible to learn the basics of life-saving.
“An entire generation must grow up with a change in mindset” – Ferenc Korcsmáros to Debreceni Nap
Ferenc Korcsmáros told Debreceni Nap that the past nine years have been extremely difficult for the National Ambulance Service and the Hungarian healthcare system, as the introduction of the new on-call system coincided with the pandemic. Hajdú-Bihar was the first county to fully transition to the new structure, which required significant adaptation from paramedics, healthcare workers, and the public.
The regional director also spoke about the role of rescue points, explaining that these are outposted units placed in hard-to-reach or high-traffic areas to ensure faster response times. Based on recent experience, the system has proven successful, and similar stations have been established in several locations in Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties.
He also emphasized the importance of first aid education, stating that a significant shift in health awareness is needed. More training programs, school initiatives, and free first aid courses are being launched, as a generation must grow up with these skills becoming part of everyday life.
The most common emergency calls continue to be traffic accidents and cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, while in summer heat-related cases and child accidents also increase.
Korcsmáros also spoke about the National Ambulance Service’s new video call system, which allows dispatchers to see the scene through a smartphone camera. This can provide crucial assistance in resuscitation, accidents, or even cases involving choking infants. He noted that the system is considered innovative even on an international level.
List of awarded paramedics
Director General’s Certificate of Recognition
- Dr. Éva Preisz – 50 years of service
Loyalty Awards
10 years:
- Dr. Réka Judit Szaniszló – physician specialist
- Ádám Szabó – ambulance technician
- Ferenc Szabó – ambulance driver
- Zoltán Szabó – ambulance driver
- Ildikó Szeifert – administrator
- Sándor Varga – ambulance technician
15 years:
- Szilvia Hegedűs – dispatch operator
- András László Boros Jr. – certified nurse / paramedic
- Katalin Molnár-Czeglédi – rescue leader
- Lajos Ludvikovics Oláh – ambulance nurse
- Pál Pinkovai – ambulance driver
- Andrea Szabó – paramedic
20 years:
- Dr. Gábor Nagy – physician specialist
- Karolina Fábián – paramedic
- Zoltán Faragó – ambulance technician
- István János Péter Kónya – regional on-call lead paramedic
- István János Kulcsár – dispatch operator
- Sándor Moravecz – ambulance technician
- Tímea Rózsás – paramedic
25 years:
- Zoltán Bacsó – ambulance technician
- Kálmán Farkas – ambulance nurse
- Ferenc Fónyad – ambulance driver
- Mihály Hosszú – ambulance driver
- Krisztián István Nagy – ambulance technician
- Sándor Szabó – ambulance technician
- János Lajos Szarka – ambulance nurse
- Péter Szilágyi – ambulance technician
- Zoltán Vajna – ambulance driver
30 years:
- Gyula Papp – ambulance nurse
- István Petrus – ambulance nurse
35 years:
- Imre Kocsis – ambulance nurse
- János Kozma – dispatch operator
40 years:
- Imre Dombi – ambulance nurse
- Gábor Soltész – ambulance nurse
- Tibor Tóth – ambulance nurse
45 years:
- Zsolt Kovács – certified nurse / paramedic
Accident-Free Driving Recognition
- Sándor Moravecz – 258,553 km (ambulance technician)
- Sándor Szabó – 257,993 km (ambulance technician)
- László Mándoki – 505,344 km (driver)
Special Titles
- Dóra Árgyelán – dispatch operator
- Zsolt Kanyó – ambulance driver
- Annamária Létai-Bartha – rescue leader
- Imre Tiba – ambulance nurse
- Sándor Varga – ambulance technician
Service Recognition
- Kálmán Farkas – ambulance nurse (25 years of service)
Regional Director’s Commendations
- Miklós Béres – on-call site manager
- Dr. Péter Bagdán – general practitioner
- Dr. János Margitics – general practitioner
- Dr. Miklós Eszterhai – general practitioner
- Gyuláné Hajdú – on-call nurse
- Eliza Juhász – paramedic
- István Kmecz – station manager
- Katalin Molnár-Czeglédi – paramedic
- László Répási – rescue leader
- Sándor Tanka – ambulance technician
- József Zsiros – station manager
Additional Regional Director’s Awards
- Dávid Ménes – senior station manager paramedic, regional spokesperson
- Tamás Petrik – chief paramedic of Hajdú-Bihar County
