The so-called doctor helicopter. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The government said Monday that it will deploy one more special helicopter equipped with state-of-the-art medical instruments in line with its efforts to expand emergency services in isolated areas,
The so-called doctor helicopter is equipped with life-saving instruments and is capable of carrying patients to a large hospital in minutes. The choppers have a flight crew as well as medical specialists.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said one more helicopter will be deployed this year, without announcing the exact date and deployment area.
First adopted in 2011, a total of seven emergency medical service helicopters have helped move critically-ill patients to medical facilities, ensuring that they receive timely treatment, which can be a matter of life or death.
The ministry said it also plans to operate the helicopters during night time on a trial run.
The rotary aircraft currently in operation cover 787 places in six regions — South Jeolla, Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces, and the city of Incheon, west of Seoul, and South Chungcheong Province.
(Yonhap)
