Melo admits that the State must invest in heliports for medical emergencies
The Minister of Defense admitted yesterday, July 24, in Torres Vedras that the State must invest in heliports so that medical emergency air resources can land as close as possible to hospitals.
"The problem is not the helicopter , but the infrastructure in which the State must invest," said Nuno Melo, a day after being heard by the parliamentary Defense committee about the assistance that the Air Force is providing to the National Institute of Medical Emergencies in the air transport of medical emergencies.
"If a major catastrophe ever occurs and a greater number of people need to be transported, there must be infrastructure in place so that larger helicopters, which carry a greater number of people, can land as close as possible to hospitals. Therefore, the State, more than helicopters, must invest in this infrastructure," he stressed.
The Minister of National Defense specified that, of the four helicopters available for the mission, the EH 101 Merlin, the largest of all and capable of transporting several patients, can land at six of the 47 heliports analyzed by the Air Force.
The AW119 Koala can land in 36 and the UH60 Black Hawk in 15, eight of which in 24 hours, such as at the hospitals in São João (Porto), Faro, Braga and Garcia da Horta (Almada).
The Air Force still has two other planes available.
The minister stressed that the Air Force does not replace the air resources contracted by INEM for medical emergencies, but acts "in a complementary manner", recalling that "if a larger catastrophe occurs and involves the transport of more patients than just one or two, only the Air Force has the air resources that will guarantee the transport of 15 people at a time."
The Minister of National Defense was speaking on the sidelines of the Armed Forces Social Action Institute's day celebrations, at its center in Runa, in the municipality of Torres Vedras.
For the Social Support Center (CAS) of the Armed Forces of Runa, the governor announced funding of one million euros for work on the building's roof, to stop the deterioration not only of the roof, but also of the ceiling paintwork.
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