Permanent air rescue service begins in Xi'an

China's first permanent air medical rescue service went into operation on Sunday from Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, which also became the first province in China to have a helicopter medical rescue unit.

The air medical rescue service is provided by a team of 25 doctors and six nurses from the hospital under the Fourth Military Medical University, and uses two helicopters — an EC130 and AS350 made by Airbus with maximum cruising speeds of 287 and 266 km per hour.

The air medical rescue team will cover the provincial capital and areas around the city, and will also be available for elsewhere in the province. The helicopters are equipped with emergency equipment and medicines including a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation meter, multi-function monitor, defibrillator/pacemaker, portable transport ventilator, intubation kits, oxygen bottles, suction devices, monitors for hemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin, all of which enable doctors to carry out in-flight emergency medical services.

Currently, air medical rescue services are provided in Beijing and Shanghai, but there was formerly no helicopter equipped with special medical instruments or medical team tasked to carry out rescue work at any time.

The new service is part of welfare services for the public, who need pay only for the flight, and will be provided free for public emergencies and natural disaster relief.