Some major hospitals in the country have sought the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's permission for launching helicopter emergency medical services, but the DGCA is yet to take a final decision.
"We have received applications from some big hospitals seeking approval for construction of rooftop helipad and other infrastructure", DGCA chief Kanu Gohain said at a seminar on HEMS in New Delhi, adding that a final decision was yet to be taken.
Maintaining that DGCA has already issued guidelines for developing HEMS facilities as well as those for constructing make-shift helipads, he said choppers should also conform to the laid-down standards, especially relating to noise pollution when they are operating near hospitals, besides installation of life-saving equipment.
Gohain also suggested that medical insurance companies should provide for HEMS in their policies, particularly for far-flung rural areas inhabited by the poor. Speaking on the overall helicopter aviation scenario in the country, he said though the sector had not yet picked up as well as the scheduled airlines mainly due to the high costs involved, helicopters were becoming a popular mode of transport.
However, there was still a long way to go, as India had a total of about 150 registered civilian helicopters compared with over 13,000 in the United States alone, he said.
Michael Redenbaugh, CEO of major US company Bell Helicopter, said about 95 per cent of the people in the US were half-an-hour away from chopper connectivity and added that India was already on a high growth path, requiring about 600 choppers in the next few years.
