Only 49 air ambulances are currently being operated in India.
The air ambulance facility is soon going to be operational from All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday.
"Air ambulances are soon going to be operational. Request for Proposal will be invited in the next couple of weeks for AIIMS Rishikesh so that helicopters are pushed into service to save precious time and lives," Mr Scindia said at the 49th national convention of the All India Management Association (AIMA) here.
"We are working with the Road and Transport Ministry and the Health Ministry to look at Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). The 'golden hour' we have for road accident victims, we can evacuate them from highways directly to hospital and the first centre we are looking at is AIIMS Rishikesh," he added.
Last month, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had proposed the usage of helicopters to ensure delivery of medical care in time to accident victims.
For its pilot project, the ministry had invited expressions of interest (EoI) from air operators who can offer one single-engine or twin-engine helicopter in the role of an air ambulance with EMS capability for a period of six months based out of a helipad at AIIMS Rishikesh.
This helicopter will be used to provide crucial service for victims of life-threatening trauma within the golden hour, the one-hour window after an accident when access to definitive care can make all the difference between life and death.
According to the statistics shared by the ministry in the Parliament in March, only 49 air ambulances are currently being operated in India by 19 operators and around 4,100 patients have hired air ambulances in the last three years.
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