JEDDAH, 21 May 2006 — Muhammad Abdul Latif Jameel, president of the Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Community Services Programs, has signed an agreement of cooperation with Saleh ibn Hamad Al-Tuwaijeri, acting president of the Saudi Red Crescent Society (SRCS) to begin an airborne ambulance service in the Makkah region.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed have welcomed the service which will expedite the delivery of sick and injured to area hospitals. The service will be particularly useful during the Haj season.
Two helicopters have been provided by ALJ’s community service program. The programs will meet the expenses of the maintenance staff over the next three years while the Red Crescent will undertake the supervision of management and operations, according to a press release from the ALJ Community Services Programs.
“Eurocopter BO 105 CBS5” model helicopters with twin engines and able to fly at a speed of 242 km/ph have space to carry two patients in addition to a pilot and a copilot.
The programs have already contracted a Turkish firm, Red Star, to operate the airborne ambulance service in the first stage while ISOS, an international firm specializing in first aid and airlifting, is providing consultancy services. The SRCS has already trained several of its staff in the airborne first aid service. It has also taken steps to prepare a local team to operate the helicopters.
During the pilgrimage time, the speed in transferring emergency cases to hospitals is of vital importance as land ambulances take hours to take a patient to the nearest hospital through the traffic jams on the crowded streets.
The ALJ programs are motivated by the desire to reduce the number of deaths resulting from the delay in getting medical aid to accident victims and other patients. The new air ambulances have been received at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in the presence of the representatives of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), ALJ Community Services Programs, SRCS, ISOS and Red Star. The customs department exempted them from duty. All other agencies, such as the Ministry of Defense and Civil Aviation and the GACA, have offered full cooperation to guarantee success.
