Apollo Hospitals expands air-ambulance service to Tier II

Leading health care service provider Apollo Hospitals, in association with a Bengaluru based aviation firm, today expanded its air ambulance service facility to Tier-II cities.
Apollo Hospitals launched the air ambulance emergency services in 2003 and later expanded it to New Delhi and Bengaluru. About 125-150 air transfers of patients take place in a year.
The expansion of air ambulance service facility to Tier-II locations was formally launched by Health and Family Welfare department, Principal Secretary, J Radhakrishnan along with Aviators Air Rescue Pvt Ltd, Managing Director, Captain Arun Sharma.
With the launch of Air Ambulance service, Apollo Hospitals aims to connect Karaikudi, Karur, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Mysore, Karimnagar, Kakinada and Vishakapatnam, a press release said.

The air ambulance launched in association with Aviators Air Rescue, would have a medical crew to address emergency victims and critically-ill patients.
"Air Ambulances could cut travel time by as much as 90 per cent and immediate medical attention can go a long way in saving lives", Apollo Hospitals, Vice-Chairperson, Dr Preetha Reddy said.

She said over 60 million people in India are affected due to cardiac diseases and over 0.5 million road accidents occur every year, where at least 0.1 million deaths were reported.
Apart from addressing emergency patients, organs from brain dead patients for transplant in different locations can be transported using the air ambulance network.

Apollo Hospitals has dedicated hubs in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad for the air ambuance service. The cost of services using air ambulance would range between Rs 1.60 lakh to Rs two lakh per hour, it added.