CRITICALLY ill patients who have to be transported from the Isle of Man to the UK by air ambulance will benefit from a donation from the Manx Heart Support Group.
The group has donated £5,000 to the air ambulance service which has enabled the service to purchase a brand new, state of the art, aero slad stretcher.
Around 350 patients a year are transferred from the Isle of Man by air ambulance. The ambulance is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is operated by Capital Air Charter which is based at Ronaldsway Airport.
The stretcher will be used to enable the safe and easy transfer of patients from an ambulance into the aircraft and is fully compatible with the onboard life support medical systems.
According to the Department of Health having the second stretcher will enable a faster turn around time when multiple patients need transferring to the UK. In the past a stretcher would have to return from the UK to Noble's Hospital before the preparation for transfer of a second patient could begin.
However with the addition of this stretcher a second patient can now be prepped for a flight at Noble's Hospital and be ready to leave as soon as the aircraft is back on the ground in the Isle of Man.
Health Minister David Anderson MHK said: "Our air ambulance service is quite literally a lifeline for the Island and provides a vital link to the UK.
"The air ambulance is called upon when critically ill patients require treatment off-Island in more specialist centres which have access to a wider range of facilities than those available on the Island.
"I'd like to extend my thanks on behalf of the department to the Manx Heart Support Group. This generous donation will ensure that patients are able to benefit from the latest advances in technology with the new equipment making for a safer and speedier transfer from the ambulance to the aircraft."
Win Kewley, chair of the Manx Heart Support Group said: "Fellow member of the group Lynda Kane and I are former nurses and actually worked on the air ambulance during our time at Noble's Hospital, as well as in intensive care.
"This is such a vital service, and knowing firsthand the resources required and work involved, we wanted to do all we could to secure and enhance the service.
"The Manx Heart Support Group is really what it says on the tin. We don't actively fund-raise but instead provide people affected by heart disease or heart conditions with support, advice and the opportunity to talk in a friendly environment.
"Despite not actively seeking funds we do receive donations from time to time as well as bequests so it's great to see that money being put to such good use for the people of the Isle of Man and in a service that really does make the difference."
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