The Civil Aviation Ministry has taken a pioneering move in healthcare by introducing India’s first helicopter emergency medical services. This innovative initiative is set to redefine medical outreach by facilitating rapid emergency medical care of critical patients to the hospitals within the important golden hour after fatal incidents.
The Civil Aviation Ministry commenced a pilot project, which fetched the intro of helicopter utilization in Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Through a tender procedure, a partner has been chosen to provide a single helicopter for use as an air ambulance at the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Rishikesh Helipad for a term of one year.
The chosen helicopter is fitted with a fully operational Emergency Medical Services (EMS) kit, that includes a stretcher and other crucial medical supplies. It enables the transfer of one patient and one to two medical attendants over a distance of 100 nautical miles.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is foreseeing strategies to expand the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) all over the nation. Anticipating an integrated network that supplements land-based ambulances and enormously enhances the accessibility to trauma care.
This initiative in healthcare aspires to serve as a model for other states like Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, which are showing interest in identical services.
Madhya Pradesh has also introduced air ambulance services, which are fitted with highly skilled physicians and paramedics, and the services are furnished to cover all the districts of the state. The main office is located in Bhopal. The services are equipped with both fixed-wing and single-engine helicopters and refueling options at current airports to provide day and night HEMS functioning.
Aligned with the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the HEMS service presents patient stabilization at pick-up sites. If required they will be airlifted to more advanced medical centers in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, or Hyderabad.
The capabilities of the HEMS team include the ability to land anywhere in the city and the major point of communication for medical transfers is an appointed model officer, who serves as a contact between the district medical officers and the air ambulance command center.
The Rapid Response Emergency Medical Systems (RREMS) have been launched, which assimilates remote monitoring and permits to examine the critical patients in real-time by the International Critical Care Air Transfer Team (CCATT). This inventive method enhances the usage of medical teams and airplanes providing a timely and efficient response to medical emergencies.
To support this initiative, Pawan Hans collaborates with ICATT and sends a Bell 407 helicopter, which is equipped with essential medical supplies. Through this partnership, Pawan Hans shows its commitment to the welfare of society and its involvement in life-saving efforts.
The ICATT air ambulance service is Asia’s largest air ambulance service, which is directed by doctors with over a decade of experience in critical care. The ICATT is an innovator in the area of air ambulance services in India. It achieved commendation for its ability and tried the concept of HEMS during the 2018 Kerala floods.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina)