Gujarat's State Air Ambulance Service Completes 98 Missions Since 2022, Nearing 100

The Gujarat Government's dedicated 24x7 air ambulance service has completed 98 flight missions since its launch in 2022 and is approaching the 100-mission milestone. Of those, 48 were patient transportation flights and 50 were dedicated to transporting vital human organs for transplantation.

The service is operated by the Government of Gujarat through the Civil Aviation Department and Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL), and was undertaken under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who also holds the Civil Aviation portfolio, said the service provides air medical transportation at subsidised rates and is available to citizens across India. It runs a dedicated Beechcraft King Air B200, registration VT-GUJ, available round the clock. Depending on the patient's condition, urgency, distance and destination, the aircraft can be equipped with the required doctors, medical personnel and equipment, and it can operate from a wide range of airports and suitable airstrips, including uncontrolled airstrips, subject to operational, weather and safety requirements.

108 Emergency Services identifies cases needing air ambulance support and starts the process. The case is then referred to the GUJSAIL Flight Operations Department, which acts as the operational control point and coordinates aviation requirements and the patient's transfer after arrival at the airport. Hospitals can also request the service directly for urgent transfers. The subsidised charge is Rs 50,000 for a Gujarati patient and Rs 65,000 for a non-Gujarati patient, and Rs 55,000 when a hospital books the service. The service complements the existing road ambulance network rather than replacing it.