Cooperation between the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg and the Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad commenced in 2010. Having searched for a long time and having paid numerous visits  to various healthcare centres in Kaliningrad, we had been able to find a partner – The Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad. The first meeting was held inside the main dispatching room of the Station between 28th and 30th May 2010. During the visit, we got acquainted with the personnel of the Station and its premises.

A visit from the representatives of the Hospital in Elblag.  Kaliningrad 29.05.2010.
Photo: Maria Aroslanowa

Equipment inside the dispatching room impressed us a lot. It complied with all the  relevant European Norms and Standards. The training base of the Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad remained at a very high level as well.

The Dispatching room of the Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad.
Photo: Danuta Stanicka

Training room inside the Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad.
Photo: Danuta Stanicka

Within the cooperation initiated, the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg hosted several working meetings, which were attended by the representatives of both centres..

Visitors from Kaliningrad paying a visit in the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg.
Photo: Małgorzata Twardowska

Looking  around the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg.
FPhoto: Małgorzata Twardowska

The meetings of the representatives from both sides resulted in discussing the assumption of the project and establishing the Partnership principles. As it turned out afterwards, the planned cooperation ideally met the requirements of Measure 2.2 Development of human potential by improvement of social conditions, governance and educational opportunities.  Many hours of talks and negotiations led to concluding the Partnership Agreement. The following persons put their signatures on the document acting as its signatories:
Ludmiła Sigłajewa – the Head Doctor of the Municipal Ambulance Station In Kaliningrad and Elżbieta Gelert – Managing Director of the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg.

Consequently to the works initiated over the Project, our Hospital and the Municipal Ambulance Station in Kaliningrad submitted on 15th September 2010 a Grant Application Form to the Joint Technical Secretary  for the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Lithuania-Poland-Russia 2007 -2013 located in the European Project Centre in Warsaw.

On 18th  May 2012 we were advised on a positive decision taken by the Joint Monitoring Committee – our Application Form received the grant with maximum amount of 1,969,548.00 Euro, which accounted for 90% of the total eligible costs for the action within the ENPI Cross-border Cooperation Programme  Lithuania-Poland-Russia 2007-2013.

This was when the budget of the project and any other appendices were updated.

After the budget and its appendices had been updated, on 28th December 2012 an agreement was signed between Elżbieta Gelert, Managing Director of the Provincial Integrated Hospital in Elbląg, and Iwona Brol Director of the Territorial Cooperation Department in the Ministry of Regional Development in Poland.