more-in The State government is mulling an agreement with air ambulance service providers to lift patients in the event of accidents involving mass casualties, health secretary J. Radhakrishnan said here on Tuesday. The health department is in the process of framing guidelines to “have a system in place” that would ensure affordability, he said. “We have asked the district collectors to identify the latitude and longitude where a helicopter could land during an emergency,” he said. Policy soon Dr. Radhakrishnan, who launched Apollo Hospitals’ air ambulance network set up in collaboration with Aviators Air Rescue, said the service could be offered on a case-to-case basis and a policy to that effect would be announced soon. Already, the government is strengthening its emergency service hubs in various districts and the air ambulance service could be used on a rental basis in the event of mass casualties. “During major calamities such as the tsunami or the building collapse at Moulivakkam, we had to depend on the navy and army to transport the injured. We have a fleet of surface ambulances, yet we need to ensure that the patient gets the required care during the golden hour and platinum minutes after an accident or stroke,” he said. The air ambulance service had so far benefited over 100 patients in Delhi said Preetha Reddy, vice-chairperson of Apollo. Aviators Air Rescue managing director Captain Arun Sharma said the company had three helicopters and had positioned one aircraft each in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. It has tied up with Apollo Hospitals for trained paramedics who will accompany the patient. A trip could cost around ?1.6-?2 lakh. The company is also offering subscriptions for individuals and families, he said. Capt. Sharma said the company had been in talks with the State government for over a year. Earlier, Aviators Air Rescue performed a demonstration of its service at the Loyola College ground. Anyone requiring air rescue service can call 155350 or 1066.

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