ZEIST, Netherlands, Jan. 19, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Eureko's Assistance Centre, EuroCross International, the largest medical assistance centre in The Netherlands, has extended its 'ActionLine', a Personal Alarm Service' to the Czech republic, as of 1 January 2006. ActionLine is a new and unique product in the Czech Republic. Several housing associations are going to work with this inventive online system. For Eureko it is a logical step to expand to the Czech Republic as Central and Eastern Europe are emerging markets for the insurer.
ActionLine Personal Alarm Service enables people who are in need of additional help or support to remain living at home. The system consists of a monitor and a transmitter. The transmitter, worn around the neck or wrist has an alarm button. By pressing the button, an alarm signal is sent out directly to the 24-hour assistance centre in Prague, which is run by a team of medical experts. In The Netherlands alone, the ActionLine system was used some 144.000 times in 2005.
From its office in Prague, EuroCross will provide its services in co-operation with seven housing associations. The associations own seventy thousand dwellings. Erik Holtrop, sales manager at EuroCross, said: "Seventy percent of the residents are aged 65 or over, which means that they fall directly within our target group for those using a personal alarm. We expect to have a large group of users. Other countries are interested in the system, and if the pilot is successful, EuroCross will make it available to all households within the participating group."
Technique was a major issue during the expansion to the Czech Republic. Holtrop: "We have invented a solid construction by using the technique and infrastructure of our office in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, while the alarm is being send to our assistance centre in Prague. In Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, more and more services like ActionLine are being introduced."
The office in Prague, which opened its doors in 2000, also serves other Eureko Operating Companies such as Union, a Slovak insurance company, that recently brought health insurances to the market.Amsterdam, 19 January 2006
For further information, please contact: Eureko Michael Isaac Media Relations +31 (0) 20-5914230 (office) +31 (0) 6-51329272 (mobile)
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