New night medical helicopter service launched

Patients in a critical condition can now be taken to hospital by air and at night thanks to a new nighttime medical helicopter service that was officially launched on Tuesday.

The night medical helicopter has been trialled for a year, during which 177 patients suffering from such conditions as strokes and heart attacks have benefited from the service.

Although the service is based in Sabadell, not far from Barcelona, the helicopters are authorized to land in a dozen heliports and landing pads around the country.

Other authorized destinations will later be added to the list of places where the helicopters can land, including suitable open areas, such as football fields.

The service aims to improve access to medical facilities, reduce transfer times from remote areas to hospitals, and relieve the pressure on terrestrial services in those areas.

Second phase soon to begin

"This is a service that is already established and we can begin the second phase of broadening the network of authorized heliports," said health minister, Alba Vergés.

Sabadell's Parc Taulí hospital was chosen to host the service, as its location ensures the best possible coverage of the whole country.

However, the helicopter is already authorized to land in a number of other places in Catalonia, mostly large hospitals, such as Sant Pau, Bellvitge, and Vall d'Hebron.

Above all, the new service radically reduces the time it takes to transfer patients to hospital. For example, the helicopter can reach the Pyrenean town of Vielha in just two hours.

The next phase of adding suitable open spaces like sports fields into the network of landing sites will begin in the summer with trials in the rural area of Moià, in Central Catalonia.