Mock drill shows need of more air-ambulances in Bengaluru

A severely injured mother given emergency care, the newborn stabilised, onboard a Heli-ambulance and brought a distance of 100 kilometer; all of this completed in less than an hour.

A mock drill to show a patient being airlifted was done on Thursday morning between Mandya and Bengaluru. A distance that would otherwise be covered in about three hours was completed in about 29 minutes of flight.

A mother and child, both suffering serious injuries in a road traffic accident, were stabilised on the ground and airlifted to the City in the mock drill. This was as part of the ICATT's Live HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) drill. ICATT is one of the heli-ambulance providers in the State.

Speaking about the drill, Dr. Shalini, director ICATT, said that this was a first of its kind attempt in the country to demonstrate how the patient is airlifted.

"We want to make the service affordable to all, hence, we are in talks with the government to work out a model. We are on the advisory board for Union Minister Ashwani Kumar and have also had multiple discussions with the state government to have it included in a scheme that would make this facility accessible for patients," she said.

Currently, the service providers have one ambulance for the entire state and if the government accepts the proposal, they would include another, said Dr. Shalini. Deputy chief minister Dr. C N Ashwathnarayan, who participated in the event, said that an initiative of this sort was the need of the hour and would be life-saving for many.