Helicopter Medical Emergency Services drill held at college

A middle-aged man slips and falls from a height of 25-30 feet in Kancheepuram, and injures himself severely. Passers-by spot him lying in a pool of blood, and alert the ambulance service.

As the ambulance arrives, paramedics evaluate the severity of his injuries, and conclude that it would be too late if they are to transport him by road to the nearest hospital. They call the air ambulance unit while stabilising the patient.

Soon, a chopper arrives and a journey of 50 kilometres, which would have taken over an hour by road, is clocked in a fraction of that time. This was a simulation carried out by the International Critical Care Air Transfer Team (ICATT), a Bengaluru-based air ambulance service provider, during its Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) drill at the Saveetha Medical College grounds on Friday.

While the set up and mobilisation costs of air ambulance services were “substantial”, they may be offset if the government entered the picture to support such initiatives, said Rahul Singh, Founder and Director, ICATT. “We have started similar initiatives in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with the help of the State governments. In Madhya Pradesh, we offer a flying time of 100 hours a month and it costs the government ₹25 crore annually. Due to the high establishment costs, we insist on a five-year contract,” Dr. Singh added.

The helicopter used for the drill was the U.S.-made Bell 429 – a compact 5-seater with a six-seven metre rotor radius – which can land on a 100-sq.km. helipad.

“It has twin engines, rigid rotors, is capable of handling tough weather conditions, and is instrument flying enabled,” said Wing Commander V.T. Prakash, one of the pilots.

“Air ambulances are used extensively by the military. Slowly, civilian use is increasing,” Mr. Prakash added.

Dr. Singh said that his company, which he co-founded with Dr. Shalini Nalwad, plans to submit a proposal to the Tamil Nadu government for establishing air ambulances services in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai.