Comments
Coimbatore-based Ganga Hospital says it is set to revolutionise emergency healthcare by emerging as, what it claims to be, the first hospital in the country to have a “hospital-based full-time air-ambulance service”.
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa formally launched the service on Sunday.
S Rajasekaran, Chairman and Head, Department of Orthopaedic and Spine Surgery, Ganga Hospital, said this will be the first country-wide air-ambulance, stationed here all the time, with two pilots and a technical engineering team in waiting.
“Incidentally, it is also the first DGCA-approved (Director General of Civil Aviation) private hospital helipad (at Ganga Nursing College, Vattamalaipalayam,” Rajasekaran added.
“Equipped with a twin engine, this ambulance — technically called a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) — was first used during the F1 race in Delhi.
“So it is a dedicated copter for air ambulance service. It can cover 500 km without re-fuelling.”
Emergency landingsAsked about the feasibility of landing in the event of an emergency or if there is an urgent need to shift a patient from a hospital located elsewhere to Coimbatore or vice versa, S Raja Sabapathy, Chairman, Plastic, Hand and Micro Surgery, Ganga Hospital, said there were many government-approved helipads in the State.
If in a particular place, there is no government-approved helipad, the copter will need some area like a school ground, for which the permitting authority will be the respective District Administration.
The Home Secretary has already issued orders to all Collectors to make arrangements for landing at short notice, should they receive a request in this regard.
Facilities“It (ambulance) has built-in facilities as in an ICU, including a ventilator, oxygen cylinders, masks and in-flight resuscitation. We will be sending a doctor and a paramedical staff, specially trained to handle emergencies.
“Further, the service is not meant only for our hospital/patients. Any hospital can use the service for a fee,” he said
Rajasekaran said the hospital has leased the copter by inking an agreement with OSS Air Management.
“The commercial rate for flying for an hour (for shifting a patient) is ₹2-2.5 lakh. We want to keep it at ₹1 lakh (fixed) for the first hour.”
Rajasekaran further clarified that Ganga Hospital is not partnering with any other healthcare service provider, but is open to offer the service should there be a need.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.