3,000 forint - 75th anniversary of the Hungarian National Ambulance Service

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) is issuing a new 50-forint commemorative circulation coin and a silver collector coin of 15,000 forints along with a non-ferrous metal coin of 3,000 forints on 10 May, the Day of the Rescuers to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Ambulance Service. These special coins focus attention on the exceptional nature of the National Ambulance Service and pay tribute to the sacrifice of the comrades. There will be 1 million pieces made of the new commemorative circulation coins, while 5,000 pieces will be struck from the silver and the non-ferrous metal versions each. The renewed thematic side of the 50-forint coin was designed by sculptor Zoltán Kovács and the composition of the collector coins were created by sculptor Mercédesz Molnár. The National Ambulance Service is the largest ambulance and medical institution in Hungary, and has been in operation for 75 years. The origins of organised emergency lifesaving date back to the second half of the 19th century in Hungary, where in 1887 organised lifesaving was one of the first to be launched in Europe. The Voluntary Ambulance Association was founded in Budapest at the initiative of Géza Kresz, a doctor in the district. A nationwide network of ambulance stations was established after the First World War in 1926. After the establishment of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) on 10 May 1948, the ambulance service became unified and controlled by the state. Up from 76, established in 1926, there are now 256 ambulance stations in the country to provide effective patient care. The Hungarian system has distinctive features. Paramedic training is offered in colleges only in Hungary. The National Ambulance Service considers it’s a priority to provide on-site care: paramedics make every effort to stabilise the patient on the spot, which requires state-of-the-art equipment and high level of expertise. To mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NAS, the MNB is issuing a 50-forint commemorative circulation coin, a silver collector coin of 15,000 forints and a non-ferrous metal version of 3,000 forints, observing the Day of the Rescuers, celebrated on 10 May, the day of the founding of the NAS.