Air ambulance services today
Air ambulance services today
Transfer from military evacuation to today’s sophisticated EMS (Emergency Medical Services) programs for all concerned did not occur overnight. Australia a land of vast distances and scattered population probably deserves the credit for being the leader in integrating the airplane into the health care delivery system. The air ambulance industry all over the world from the early MAST type operations to today’s increasingly sophisticated programs in the western countries has only one goal: “Get the patient to the best medical care available as rapidly and as safely as possible a rewarding goal with proven medical benefits.
Today medical evacuation and rescue operations by air are being carried out by both military and civil organizations in most of the countries because of the availability of flying machines. There are dedicated and fully equipped aircrafts available for air evacuation in many countries. In India this service was only available in the military but none in civil due to lack of finances and non-availability of suitable aircrafts. With the onset of liberalization in our country during the early years of the last decade it became possible to commence a dedicated Air Ambulance Service leading to reduced morbidity and mortality during evacuation.
An air ambulance is specifically designed to accommodate the aero medical needs of person’s who are ill wounded injured or otherwise mentally or physically incapacitated or helpless who may require emergency medical care in-flight and who in a physician’s opinion cannot be safely transported on a standard commercial flight. Use of air ambulance services can be particularly valuable when time is of the essence when ground transportation is an uncomfortable or even a life-threatening mode of transportation and/or when no other means are available to transport the patient.
