Insurance Plan for Air Ambulance: Capt Gopinath

Bangalore, Sep 12: Deccan Aviation Chief Capt G R Gopinath today called for a suitable Insurance Plan to make the Air Ambulance facility affordable to common people.

"Insurance companies should come forward with a suitable package under which the premium should be low as far as possible so that patience in need can avail the facility in time of crisis. Any new service in the health sector should be relevant to people", he said.

He said that though Air Ambulance was a new initiative taken in the country, its heavy cost coming in the way of helping the needy people. Logistics of saving life is very difficult in India despite the country possessing highly intelligent doctors and Hospitals.

Stating that the Insurance companies should come out with innovative products, Capt Gopinath said, "The time has also come for insurance companies to step forth and provide medical insurance which covers air ambulance services, on the lines of western countries. This was particularly critical for meeting the demands of a fast progressing country in need of better medical facilities and attention." Capt Gopinath was speaking after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Apollo Hospitals Executive Director (Operation) Sangita Reddy to mark the launch of Air Ambulance service linked to super speciality New Apollo Hospitals by Deccan Aviation.

Capt Gopinath said that an alarming number of accident victims succumb without medical help in the first hour after the accident called in the medical terms as 'Golden hour'. "There is an urgent need to plug this gap by providing immediate medical assistance which also includes air lifting or medical evacuation by air", he added.

Ms Reddy said that all medical facilities including oxygen cylinders and other medicines with expert surgeon would be in the chopper before air lifting the patient. However, to make the facility available to common people the cost should become affordable.

"As air evacuations can be expensive. We are in talks with insurance companies to include Air Evacuation in Medical Insurance Policies so that the services can be extended to everyone who may need the service".

She said that while Deccan Aviation would provide the helicopter and take care of aviation logistics, Apollo emergency Specialists would take care of the medical aspects by providing trained personnel equipment and medical care during the flight. UNI