A Record 3,643 Dispatches, the Highest Nationwide
Safeguarding Gyeongbuk's Emergency Golden Hour
Designated as a Partner Hospital for the 2025 Gyeongju APEC Summit
Rising as a Key National Disaster Medical Hub
Andong Hospital, which operates the only regional emergency medical center in northern Gyeongbuk, is marking the 12th anniversary of its Doctor Helicopter service, often referred to as an "emergency room in the sky."
The Dr. Helicopter of Andong Hospital in Gyeongbuk is taking off from the rooftop helipad carrying an emergency patient.
On July 4, Andong Hospital (Chairman Kang Sin-hong) announced that its emergency medical helicopter, known as the Doctor Helicopter, which began operations on July 4, 2013, had received a total of 4,457 dispatch requests as of the end of June 2025. Of these, it actually carried out 3,643 dispatches, achieving the highest number of dispatches nationwide. The total number of critically ill emergency patients transported reached 3,458.
Notably, in May 2023, the Andong Hospital Doctor Helicopter became the first in the country to reach 3,000 dispatches and continues to play a leading role in the transport of critically ill patients across wide areas. Excluding cases where transport was canceled due to adverse weather or on-site conditions, the average dispatch success rate stands at approximately 81.7%.
According to the analysis by the aviation medical team, among the patients transported, the most common type were severe trauma cases with 843 patients (24.3%), followed by emergency neurological diseases with 749 patients (21.6%), and cardiac diseases with 493 patients (14.2%).
This demonstrates that the rapid dispatch of the Doctor Helicopter serves as an effective life-saving measure for emergency conditions where securing the golden hour is critical.
Among the patients transported, about 68% were seniors aged 60 or older. By gender, there were 2,130 men (61.6%) and 1,328 women (38.4%). The Doctor Helicopter is credited with quickly filling gaps in emergency medical care in rural, agricultural, and fishing communities where aging is particularly severe.
In terms of dispatch locations, Yeongju accounted for 763 cases (22.1%), Mungyeong for 511 cases (14.8%), Bonghwa for 436 cases (12.6%), Uljin for 354 cases (10.2%), and most of the rest were in inland and East Coast areas of Gyeongbuk such as Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Uiseong, and Yecheon.
Additionally, the service has also carried out missions in other cities and provinces, including Daegu, Taebaek in Gangwon, and Danyang in Chungbuk, serving as a key hub for emergency medical care across regions.
The Doctor Helicopter currently operated by Andong Hospital is an Italian AW-109 model, measuring 11.5 meters in length and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 311 km/h. Equipped with state-of-the-art emergency equipment such as an airway intubation device, ventilator, emergency ultrasound, and defibrillator, it is often called an "airborne mobile emergency room."
The aviation medical team consists of 13 emergency medicine specialists, 4 paramedics, 4 nurses, and 9 flight crew members. For each actual dispatch, the team includes two pilots, one emergency medicine specialist, and one paramedic or nurse, providing one-stop care from on-site emergency treatment to hospital transfer.
Kim Kwon, director of the Regional Emergency Medical Center at Andong Hospital, said, "The Doctor Helicopter can reach anywhere in Gyeongbuk within 40 minutes. With a specialist on board providing emergency care within the golden hour, it makes a decisive contribution to improving patient survival and outcomes."
Andong Hospital currently operates a regional emergency medical center, a regional trauma center, and a regional cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease center, boasting the highest level of emergency medical infrastructure in northern Gyeongbuk.
In particular, the hospital has been designated as a partner hospital for the APEC Summit to be held in Gyeongju in 2025, further strengthening its capacity to respond to national disasters.
Kang Sin-hong, chairman of Andong Hospital, stated, "Through an advanced emergency medical system centered around the Doctor Helicopter, we will solidify the region's life safety network and maintain thorough preparedness for national disasters and international events."
Meanwhile, Doctor Helicopters began pilot operations in Incheon and Jeonnam in 2011 and are now deployed in eight regions nationwide (including Gyeongbuk, Gangwon, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeonggi, and Jeju), playing an important role in bridging regional gaps in emergency medical care.
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