Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712521
ANDREA ROSSITTO VITALS Global Healthcare, which has taken over the management at the Gozo General Hospital, launched a new air ambulance service which will be permanently based in Gozo. Assisting the landing of the air ambulance at Xewkija's helipad, Vitals Group Healthcare director Ram Tumuluri and Health Min- ister Chris Fearne said that the service will be free of charge for Maltese patients and should cut current travel time from one island to the other by half. Present for the launch was also Gozo Minister Anton Refalo. "The introduction of the air am- bulance is a huge first step in our partnership with the government and shows that we are really fol- lowing through on what we prom- ised at the outset," Tumuluri said, adding that the public-private part- nership would improve health care services offered in Malta and Gozo, their delivery and accessibility. The new service, Fearne said, would complement the new growth plans in connection with the Gozo General Hospital when the medical school of Barts is incepted in the near future. Emergency transfer to Mater Dei hospital from Gozo is currently carried out by an Armed Forces of Malta helicopter. "Since we seek to improve by pro- viding better facilities in the sector, we wanted to cut-down the heli- copter's trip time-line so that criti- cal patients are assisted faster, in a trip that lasts less than 15 minutes," Tumuluri said. Although the air ambulance is already on the sister island, the ser- vice will commence in September due to the training period required. The air ambulance will land at St Luke's Hospital, with plans to relo- cate the helipad to Mater Dei Hos- pital in the future. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 AUGUST 2016 News Gozo hospital concessionaire launches air ambulance service A Gozo-based air ambulance service was launched yesterday