mbulelo smpofu
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, smoyo@chronicle.co.zw
HELIDRIVE Zimbabwe unveiled the first of its two air ambulances for Bulawayo yesterday, delivering a significant boost to emergency medical services in the Matabeleland region.
The helicopter, bound for the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), landed at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport at 11am, accompanied by a skilled crew of four, including pilots Aleksander Rusanov and Denis Salikhov. The second helicopter is anticipated to arrive in Bulawayo shortly.
Together, the two air medical rescue service helicopters will provide rapid medical assistance for serious incidents such as road traffic accidents throughout the Matabeleland region.
These helicopters are part of a larger fleet of six that will be dispatched across four stations, including Harare, Manicaland, Victoria Falls, and Bulawayo.
“The helicopter will be based here in Bulawayo. This is a Presidential project and we are working on his instructions,” said Rusanov.
President Mnangagwa and the Government have embarked on a mission to modernise Zimbabwe’s healthcare system to achieve the goal of becoming a modern, prosperous, and industrialised country by 2030.
To this end, the President visited Russia in June to seek investors to establish an air ambulance service.
Russian HeliDrive Air Ambulance Medical Services promptly collaborated with Zimbabwe to establish an efficient air ambulance service equipped with highly skilled medical doctors, nurses, engineers, dispatchers, and pilots.
The Russian Air Ambulance Service has been in operation for nine years and has a fleet of over 100 medical helicopters, dedicated to saving lives throughout Russia.
The company has recruited and trained local personnel, including 40 pilots, 50 doctors, 100 nurses, 100 dispatchers, and 10 engineers, to handle the air medical services.
Air ambulances are typically reserved for transporting patients from inadequate levels of care to higher levels of care or for patients who are unable to use commercial flights due to their medical condition.
These specialised aircraft are designed to overcome geographical barriers and provide the same level of medical care available in an intensive care unit.
The air ambulance service was launched in Zimbabwe in August in conjunction with the 44th SADC summit.
The helicopters are equipped with advanced medical facilities and staffed by trained medical personnel. One of the first successful missions was the transportation of a cardiac arrest patient from Chegutu to Harare in 20 minutes, which is significantly faster than the two-hour road journey.
Although Winos Dube, chairperson of the Bulawayo Residents Association (Bura), recognised the significance of the arrival of the air ambulance, he emphasised the importance of providing equitable access to critical services.
“We applaud the Government on this. We, however, hope that every person who needs emergency medical attention will access this. It must not be based on one’s position in society but generally, we are excited as its presence will indeed save lives,” said Dube.
