Experts applaud tighter requirements for medical flights

Experts have welcomed the Civil Aviation Administration of China's release of specific requirements for operators of aeromedical services, saying they will help make rescue flights safer and more effective as demand for them increases.

The administration issued the requirements - which cover aviation safety practices, the functions and responsibilities of medical transport, crew qualifications, medical facilities and medical care procedures onboard - last year, but they were only released publicly last month.

The requirements say captains should have a minimum of 800 hours' flying experience, with at least 100 hours on aeromedical flights, and should also have emergency response and medical care training.

Zhang Bing, director of the general aviation department at the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology, said aeromedical services play an important role in providing medical aid and air transport for critically ill patients and the severely wounded in places lacking medical resources.

The 999 Emergency Rescue Center, which is affiliated with the Beijing branch of the Red Cross Society of China, said it has conducted over 500 medical rescue flights nationwide for critically ill patients since it introduced aeromedical services in 2010, with demand for such services doubling each year for the past three years.

Places with better medical resources, including Beijing, Chongqing, the Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region also have their own aeromedical services. The launch of the detailed requirements provides a blueprint for their rapid expansion nationwide.

"Air medical transports are highly effective medical interventions," Zhang said. "The specific requirements will help to improve the standardization of aeromedical work."

The operation of aeromedical flights is more complex than other civil aviation services because time, efficiency and standardization are even more critical on lifesaving missions.

"The service is unique in that it combines two major industries - aviation and healthcare," said Li Wei, deputy director of the general aviation department at the Civil Aviation Management Institute of China. "It needs the airplanes to be well staffed and equipped with the most sophisticated skills, expertise, medications and equipment for the critically ill and injured patients and to continue patient care during transport."

The specific requirements will play a vital role in improving the quality and safety of medical treatment, Li said.

But he said there are still many obstacles to the development of aeromedical services, including their high cost and a lack of medical staff.

"The civil aviation department should make more favorable policies, such as streamlining procedures for route approval and charging lower airport service fees for aeromedical services in a bid to ease the burden on the public," he said, adding that it should also strengthen coordination with health departments to train more medical staff.