68 per cent of calls to 112 service - false

Chisinau, 29 November /MOLDPRES/- The 112 emergency number was called 2.5 million times in eight months since the launch of the service, and 68 per cent of calls were false. Most people calling 112 need ambulance intervention. The data were made public today at a press club.

112 Service director Liviu Oboroc said that operators receive 270 thousand calls per month, or 9 thousand daily calls, and only three thousand of them require emergency services. He said that this increases the time of intervention, complicates the activity of operators and in some cases can endanger the lives of citizens. In this context, he urged citizens to contact the service operators only in emergencies, these being the cases in which people's life and health, material goods or the environment are endangered.

Starting from December 2018, fines for false calls to 112 will be doubled and will amount to 3,000 lei, according to legislative amendments.

In terms of geographical location, almost half of the calls are from Chisinau.

Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Chiril Gaburici said authorities intend that the operators will also receive messages sent by cars involved in road accidents. This refers to vehicles produced after March 31, 2018, which, if involved in road accidents, have the ability to convey a message with information about accident.

Gaburici added that special intervention teams would be equipped with mobile terminals, so if they are moving on a request, and there are still some people in need of help, the crew can intervene promptly.

112 service became operational in Moldova in July 2018. It is free and can be called from any phone in Moldova and throughout the EU.