Indian government to build 50-plus HEMs hubs along key roads
The Indian government has ambitious plans to build over 50 EMS units and to boost heli-tourism. (Photocredit: StockCake).
The Indian government plans to build more than 50 helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) hubs along key roads in the country.
The plans were revealed by the country’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, according to the Asian health organisation eHealth, the Enterprise of Healthcare.
The EMS hubs will provide critical helicopter ambulance medical support in remote and underserved regions. Each unit will be equipped with specialised helicopters to transport trauma victims and patients to the nearest hospital.
The flagship HEMS unit will open at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rishikesh in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges River.
The aviation minister also unveiled a Helicopter Accelerator cell, part of the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation, to help speed the development of the rotary industry. “This dedicated platform will focus on regulatory support for helicopter operations, expediting processes that are typically constrained by rules designed for fixed-wing aircraft,” said the organisation.
The minister also urged manufacturers and others to establish maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities within the country. And he highlighted the potential of heli-tourism in the country.
The minister was reportedly speaking at the the Heli Power India 2024 conference organised by the Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI). Read more here.
