Now, Kovai hospital boasts of aero-medical facility

“The ambulance is not only for our use, but the service can be availed of by other hospitals at no extra cost,” said S Raja Sabapathy, director of the hospital, on Friday.

He went on to say that the ambulance is a 1992 model Twin engine Augusta Westland Helicopter. It is exclusively designed for aero medical transport of patients. The chopper was brought to India in 2011 for a Formula 1 Race, as an air ambulance is mandatory to handle emergencies during the race. “It belongs to Delhi-based OSS Air and is being operated on a rental basis for around Rs 25 lakh a month,” he added. 

The chopper can have a return trip without refuelling for a distance less than 220 km that covers a major portion of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and till Bengaluru. On a one-way trip without refuelling it can cover 440 km (that is up to Chennai, a major part of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and parts of Sri Lanka). Services of the ambulance can be availed of round the clock for transporting patients. 

It can be used for transporting organs and even for shifting patients from a hospital in Chennai to Bengaluru. S Rajasekaran, another director of the hospital, said that the cost of operation is Rs. 1 lakh an hour. “It is 40 to 50 per cent less than the existing operators,” he claimed. The hotline numbers 1800 425 25555 or 90030 10200 can be called to avail of the air ambulance service.