Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe

Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR), also known as Polish Medical Air Rescue, is the national air ambulance service of Poland. It provides emergency medical transport and critical care to patients who require rapid movement to definitive care facilities. The service operates helicopters and, when needed, fixed‑wing aircraft to reach remote or time‑sensitive locations. LPR responds to calls from the national emergency number, inter‑facility transfers, and missions requested by hospitals or emergency physicians. Its crews consist of physicians, nurses and paramedics trained in aeromedical procedures and advanced life support. The organisation functions as a component of the broader emergency medical services system in Poland. It is tasked with delivering pre‑hospital care during flight and ensuring patient stability until arrival at the receiving hospital. LPR’s operational area covers the entire Polish territory, allowing it to serve both urban and rural populations. The service is activated for trauma, cardiac, neurological, obstetric and neonatal emergencies, among other critical conditions. By integrating aviation resources with medical expertise, LPR aims to reduce treatment delays and improve outcomes for severely ill or injured patients.

LPR is distinguished by its specialised focus on aeromedical evacuation, maintaining aircraft equipped with intensive‑care capabilities to support patients during flight. The organisation works under the authority of the Ministry of Health and collaborates with regional emergency dispatch centres to coordinate missions. Its operational structure includes a network of bases positioned to achieve rapid response times across the country. As a public entity, LPR is funded through the national health budget and operates as a state‑run service rather than a private contractor. In February 2022 the organisation experienced a ransomware attack attributed to the HIVE group that encrypted its email system, public website and emergency dispatch data transmission. Despite the encryption, medical rescue flights continued using alternative communication methods such as private email accounts and mobile phones. LPR’s leadership refused to negotiate or pay the demanded ransom of approximately 1.5 million PLN. Internal IT teams, assisted by national police, cybersecurity agencies and health‑ministry officials, worked to rebuild affected systems and assess whether backups had also been compromised. Investigators noted that data might have been exfiltrated before encryption, although the full scope of any breach remained unconfirmed at the time. The incident prompted the organisation to review its cyber‑defences while reinforcing cooperation with governmental partners to safeguard critical emergency‑response infrastructure.