<Anchor> The
government has introduced doctor helicopters to quickly transport critically ill emergency patients by air.
Currently, medical teams are organized for each of the 8 base hospitals nationwide, but the operating distance does not reach the whole country, and it was not easy to travel at night.
In order to compensate for this shortcoming, the National Fire Agency introduced an emergency medical helicopter that can be operated 24 hours a day over long distances.
Reporter Kim Min-joon covered this story.
<Reporter>
A firefighting helicopter carrying medical staff is taking off.
It flies 40 km away, picks up severe trauma patients, and transports them to a regional trauma center-designated hospital in northern Gyeonggi Province.
In the helicopter, first aid is provided by medical staff.
This is a simulation training for firefighting emergency medical helicopters scheduled for pilot operation starting tomorrow (20th).
It took only 7 minutes to transfer the patient, which was about 40 minutes shorter than when the patient was transferred by ambulance.
Inside the newly introduced firefighting helicopter.
If you look here, it is equipped with an oxygen cylinder, infusion machine, and an automatic defibrillator, so professional on-site treatment is possible.
Above all, we have secured about 20 professional medical staff through cooperation with three university hospitals.
[Lee Chang-won/Firefighter: In addition to the basic equipment, the medical staff can use the equipment they carry to make the treatment of the patient more smooth at the pre-hospital stage.]
In terms of operating distance, it can fly 150 km more than the existing doctor helicopter, so it can cover the whole country at once.
In connection with the 119 situation room, it is possible to operate at night, which is expected to speed up the transportation of emergency patients in medically vulnerable areas.
[Cho Hang-joo/Head of Trauma Center in Northern Gyeonggi Province: In the case of blood transfusion, it is said that the survival rate drops by 5% for every minute delay. will increase.)]
Dispatch is free of charge, but priority is given to emergency patients with cardiac arrest, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, and severe trauma.
The National Fire Agency plans to conduct a pilot operation by the end of this year in northern Gyeonggi Province, where large hospitals are lacking compared to the population, and then expand nationwide.
(Video coverage: Joo Yong-jin, Video editing: Oh No-young)