Emergency air ambulance service is the transportation of a critically injured or ill patient who cannot be transported by ground ambulance to a hospital via normal routes and methods.
Air ambulances are significantly more expensive than ground ambulances, often costing per flight hour. This can cause concern as many hospitals will not accept responsibility for payment in full or even partial cases. However, some medical insurance providers do offer coverage for emergency air ambulance services in their policies.
Ambulance service medical directors have the authority to decide whether or not a patient needs to be transported by air. Referrals are made by his or her primary care physician, other specialists, and the hospital’s emergency department. The most appropriate method of transportation is determined in a case-by-case basis.
As with other countries, all air ambulances are operated by private companies under contract with the government agency that licenses pilots and aircraft and oversees air traffic control. Air ambulances in rural areas of the India., like many other countries, are often operated as fixed-wing aircraft as opposed to helicopters due to their ability to cover greater distances at higher cruise speeds with less cost per transport.
