The air ambulance industry has been in the news recently for several reasons. We take a brief look at some of the most important developments from around the globe.
Air Ambulance Flies 30 Hours Straight to Save a Cancer Patient
An employee of an Indian bank who was suffering from intestinal cancer was recently flown from Johannesburg, South Africa to Chennai, India via an air ambulance. The banker was suffering from intestinal cancer and wanted to be treated in his home town. It is believed that the air ambulance cost had come up to over USD 130,000; however, the entire amount was borne by the patient’s employer.
Need for Air Ambulance Services in Rural Kentucky Being Felt
It is easy to imagine that urban America – where maintaining social distancing is a challenge – is at a high risk of COVID-19 spread. However, one fails to recognize the fact that rural hospitals are fast closing in the United States, especially in the state of Kentucky. As many as 16 hospitals in the state are believed to be at risk of closure. Medical flights are going to be the only recourse in this situation if the pandemic worsens, according to some experts.
Air Ambulance Services are Now being used to Ferry COVID-19 Patients in the UK
Initially, the NHS or the National Health Service had restricted air ambulance services from carrying COVID-19 patients. However, now, certain standard operating procedures have been defined, and they are being allowed to carry such patients. This move will help the emergency service to operate seamlessly. Earlier, the medical flight services, which were restricted from carrying suspected or infected patients, had to be extra careful of whom they were carrying. Now, they can fly patients with confidence; of course, adequate precautions will have to be taken to protect both the patients and the crew members.
