At present, there are three medical helicopters in Denmark based at Skive, Billund and Ringsted. They are all manned by doctors and ready to assist in emergencies.
A new report published by Danske Regioner shows that last year, they flew more than 3,500 sorties – an increase of 40 percent on the year before, DR Nyheder reports.
“The helicopters ensure that citizens can get quick and highly-specialised medical help – wherever they live in the country,” said Bent Hansen, the chairman of Danske Regioner.
Mainly acute heart conditions
The helicopters are primarily used in areas where there is a long distance to specialised treatment.
The highest number of sorties were recorded by municipalities in western and southern Jutland, Samsø, Læsø, and the southern and eastern municipalities of Zealand and Bornholm.
The majority of the assisted patients had circulatory problems such as heart attacks, coronaries and blood clots.
The service is run jointly by the five regions, and their alarm centres can divert each of the three helicopters anywhere in Denmark.
