“DOCTOR HELICOPTER” SERVICES

[Anchor Lead]

Gyeoggi-do Province will be the nation's first province to operate helicopter emergency medical services around the clock. The so-called "doctor helicopter" system will go into service on August 31. With its complete connection with the nation's emergency response system, the air medical service will significantly help transport emergency patients and rescue those stranded in mountains.

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A helicopter lands on the lawn in front of the provincial government office building. A 119 ambulance soon arrives at the scene with a patient in need of medical attention. And then a medical team disembarks from the helicopter and takes over the patient from paramedics. The patient is loaded onto the helicopter and airlifted to a hospital. This is a pilot operation of the so-called Doctor Helicopter introduced by Gyeonggi-do Province. The helicopter emergency medical service is operated to help patients that are in dire need of immediate and fast medical attention, especially those who are at high fatality risk following serious injuries. The use of helicopters will greatly reduce the time needed to transport patients to a hospital on time. Gyeonggi-do Province will operate the air emergency medical service around the clock for the first time in the nation. Introduced in collaboration with Ajou University Hospital, Gyeonggi-do's Doctor Helicopter is a multi-purpose means of transportation that can be used in not just helping patients but also rescuing those stranded in mountains or aiding maritime operations. Six officials from the nation's emergency response agency were formally dispatched to Ajou University Hospital in order to connect the Doctor Helicopter service with the state system.

[Soundbite] LEE GUK-JONG(HEAD, SOUTHERN GYEONGGI TRAUMA CENTER) : "The air emergency medical service is not separate from the state emergency response system. It will strengthen the airborne operations of the national agency."

Gyeonggi-do Province has set up some 1,700 heliports at schoolyards and public agencies. The Gyeonggi provincial government will establish a repair facility for the Doctor Helicopter at an Air Force airfield in Suwon. It will also increase related budget by two billion won to seven billion won next year.