Emergency treatment takes off to the skies as private security firm launches aircraft ambulances that will rescue victims, operate mid-air
Emergency treatment takes off to the skies as private security firm launches aircraft ambulances that will rescue victims, operate mid-air
Now, crash survivors on a deserted island won't be the only ones waving at passing planes with an SOS. City-dwellers, too, can look up for hope, quite literally. Security agency Tops has launched a new division, Tops Air Rescue, that will involve mid-air aid like trauma and life support and critical care.
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Help in time: The air ambulance is being used in Mumbai and the service will soon be extended to Delhi |
With a panel of 60 doctors, including super-specialists, a fleet of ambulance aircraft is getting ready to span the skies of Mumbai. Each airplane has two specialists and one paramedic on board, and specialists are added as per individual patient need.
Services can be sought if a patient needs to travel more than 250 miles, costing a minimum of Rs 80,000 per side of transfer and in-treatment. The firm has leased 10 aircraft and tied up with 110 hospitals across the country, including Hinduja hospital, Bombay Hospital (Bombay), Bangalore Hospital, Srinivasa Cardiology Centre (Bangalore), Medilinku00a0 Hospital (Ahmedabad). The service is operating in Navi Mumbai and Thane at present. Next on their map are Delhi and Chennai.
"The idea is to save lives quickly, but of course, there is a need for air rescue insurance, a service that operates in the West but is missing on Indian soil, thereby increasing costs significantly," said Dr Prabhat Jauhari, chief operation officer at Tops Security.
The airborne ICU has a bed, battery-operated equipment and basic as well as specialised medical tools. Treatment relating to cancer treatment, burn care, head and spinal cord injury and strokes are also available. So far, around 10 to 15 patients with 100 per cent success rate have been tended to, mid-flight. Though the service is already facing a lack of demand, thanks to the slump, it is making adequate arrangements to handle other bottlenecks like air pressure management and landing platforms. "Necessary changes are being made in the machines to deal with the increased air pressure in flight, and get patients adjusted to it," said Sameer Shaikh, an orthopedic surgeon on board.
However, patients are happy. "I suffered from viral encephalitis during my pregnancy, and had to be put on the ventilator in the Bombay Hospital's Indore branch. As my condition deteriorated, I had to be shifted to Bombay Hospital's Mumbai branch. Both me and my baby were saved only because of this service," said Shweta Singhai, who gives the invention a thumbs-up.
Such services are already operating in the West like Aerocare Air Ambulance and Heathrow Air Ambulance Service. Dr Diwan Rahul Nanda, Global Chairman and managing director, Topsgrup has brought it to India.
| Flying facts |
It takes two to three hours for the ambulance to reach local destinations. Time taken in International transfers depends on many factors like passports, visa, international permits and landing arrangements.
The service is primarily aimed at the insurance industry, travel industry, international repatriation companies, embassies, public and private companies, hospital trusts. |
