SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has said that the formal launch of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service is a watershed moment for emergency response care in Northern Ireland that will save lives.
The new helicopter ambulance for the North of Ireland became fully operational today, Wednesday, August 2.
It will cost £2m a year to run and will be dependent on public donations.
There is a landing base at the Maze Long Kesh site in Co Antrim and a back-up at St Angelo outside Enniskillen.
The service will operate with a doctor and paramedic on board. Northern Ireland was previously the only area in the UK without such a service.
The helicopter will be able to reach any part of the North of Ireland within 25 minutes.
Mr Durkan also called for a sustainable funding stream for the service.
The Foyle MLA said: “The formal launch of the HEMS Air Ambulance today is a watershed moment for emergency response care.
“Journeys with patients facing acute medical conditions or trauma that would otherwise have taken over an hour can now be completed in minutes, giving those in need of care the best chance of recovery.
“The campaign for this service has been long and gruelling.
“But the determination of people like Dr John Hinds and others over 12 years has ensured that we can now reach the most remote parts of the North to help those in need.
“What’s vital now is that we ensure funding for the service is sustainable and not reliant on public donations to continue.
“This must be a priority for all parties and underscores the critical need to establish power sharing institutions in the North.
“We’ve already seen the impact that the service can have after it was deployed from a training exercise to bring 11-year-old Conor McMullan to hospital following a tractor accident in Castlewellan.
“The first deployment of the Air Ambulance reduced a journey time of an hour to eight minutes. That’s critical.
“This is an important day for emergency medical care in the North of Ireland,” he added.
