In the event of a medical emergency, every second counts, so prompt treatment is essential. Sometimes helicopter transportation is the most efficient way. However, this type of service is slow to establish itself in Quebec.
The Helico Secours helicopter can take off in a few minutes to carry out urgent medical transport.
François Rivard, pilot and paramedic, remembers a significant intervention in 2012, an explosion at Neptune Technologies, located in Sherbrooke.
“I had been called in support to pick up a burnt patient from the Sherbrooke Hospital to bring him to the burns center in Montreal. The first patient had been transferred by land and we had arrived before the first ambulance,” he says.
“It can also land very close to the point of intervention and redeposit the patient very close to the appropriate hospital”, explains Alain Vallières, general manager of Helico Secours.
During the last elections, the CAQ undertook to set up a medical transport service by helicopter, promising to invest $225 million to set up this network.
“The MSSS is currently analyzing various potential deployment scenarios. (…) some heliports will be in big cities like Montreal and Quebec (…). There will therefore be recipient centres, which are to be determined, and departure centres, ”reads the response from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
“The model that has been proven is the Stars in Western Canada model, which is a not-for-profit model and has been operating for over 30 years. We urge the government to work in this direction. We are here to collaborate with him. Identifying the places and the ways of doing things must be as efficient as possible,” continues Mr. Vallières.
Approximately 1,500 Quebecers could benefit from this service annually.