Air ambulance yet to take flight in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Air ambulance facilities is a much-awaited initiative by residents of the city but the high cost of the same makes it inaccessible to the necessitous. Besides minimal travel time to transfer patients during an emergency, the facility also comes equipped with dedicated medical infrastructure, experienced flight crew and trained medical staff to provide medical monitoring during the flight.

IT professional S Harish, however, rued, “This is a much-awaited step but my friend couldn’t afford the private air ambulance due to its exorbitant cost when his father needed an emergency treatment,” he said.

The facility’s cost, however, is not set in stone, said Ayush an official from Medilift Air Ambulance Services. “If the patient’s condition is critical and they cannot afford the facility, we try to negotiate the cost,” he said, adding that the starting price for a commercial air ambulance is `2,75,000. 

Software engineer Krishnendu Paul recalled his experience: “My father had a cardiac emergency, and I had to negotiate the cost to avail the private air ambulance facility. Everybody cannot afford the high price, so it remains a remote choice,” he said. 

Furthermore, BBMP’s delay on helipad spots for medical emergencies has left people dejected.
“Efforts from the government’s end to avail air ambulance services for the needy is much awaited,” added Paul.

An emergency physician at Fortis Hospital agreed and said, “The high price doesn’t make it feasible and accessible. The government should come up with projects that would make air ambulance facilities cost effective.”