Incheon Doctor Helicopter Unable to Dispatch 4 to 5 Times Out of 10... Heo Jong-sik Calls for 24-Hour Operation

1365 Dispatch Requests in the Last 5 Years... 641 Dismissed or Halted
Due to Meteorological, Medical Factors, and Insufficient Mission Time

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The 'Doctor Helicopter,' an emergency medical helicopter first introduced in Incheon along with Jeonnam in 2011, was found to be 'unable to dispatch' 4 to 5 times out of 10 dispatch requests due to various reasons such as weather conditions.

According to data received by Rep. Heo Jongsik (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap) of the Democratic Party from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 11th, there were 1,365 dispatch requests for the Doctor Helicopter in the Incheon area over the past five years, but 641 cases, accounting for 47%, were either rejected or canceled.

In particular, since last year, the rate of dispatch rejections and cancellations has exceeded 50%, raising calls for improvements to the Doctor Helicopter operation system.

The reasons for dispatch rejection and cancellation were mostly weather-related factors with 335 cases (52.3%), followed by medical reasons with 119 cases (18.6%), and lack of mission time with 108 cases (16.8%).

Medical reasons include discrepancies in medical opinions, patient death, or deterioration of the patient's condition, while lack of mission time refers to cases where operation is expected after sunset, beyond the Doctor Helicopter's operating hours from sunrise to sunset.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that it is difficult to reduce the number of dispatch rejections and cancellations due to medical and weather-related reasons.

Accordingly, Rep. Heo pointed out the need for measures such as reviewing 24-hour operation (to address lack of mission time) and designating helipads to shorten transport distances.

The helipad was moved from Gimpo Airport to the aviation unit inside Ilsin-dong, Bupyeong-gu, but there is no dedicated hangar, and noise complaints are severe.

Rep. Heo said, "As it marks 10 years since the Doctor Helicopter was introduced in Incheon, policy alternatives should be prepared to reduce the number of dispatch rejections and cancellations," adding, "The patient transfer rate in emergency medical vulnerable areas should be maximized through network construction with land and sea emergency systems such as fire helicopters and coast guard helicopters."

Meanwhile, according to a big data analysis conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2019 on emergency patients in island areas, if the Doctor Helicopter departs from the fire aviation unit on Yeongjong Island, it reduces the distance by about 12.6 km and time by about 5.7 minutes on average compared to the existing (Gachon University Gil Hospital). Furthermore, establishing an emergency medical center in Eulwangri and operating the Doctor Helicopter there reduces the distance by an average of 21.7 km and time by about 17 minutes.