PICKING THE BEST AIR AMBULANCE PROVIDER IN THE PHILIPPINES

An air ambulance is our emergency room in the sky. 

I've been blogging about Airgurus' Air Ambulance services in the country for quite some time now and I have received direct emails from people wishing they have read my blogs when they needed medical air transport for their loved ones and/or friends as they openly admitted to me that that they should have picked the right air ambulance provider.

Some of these people made grave mistakes. Some people have gone for lower rates, some have gone for the newest aircraft, some for the nearest available aircraft and all three somehow have contributed to non-satisfactory medical transfer of patients resulting to complaints, complications, etc.

When needing an Air Ambulance in the Philippines, it's not just about picking the newest, fastest, so-called medically-equipped aircraft or the nearest available aircraft to transport patients by air... there is so much more... after all, it's about life I'm talking about! Time is muscle and understandably, we can't afford to lose time but a minute of deliberating which air ambulance provider we should get will make a big difference. 

It's a given fact... All aircraft are just a few hours away from any point of origin around the Philippine Archipelago. In fact, anyone with an aircraft can do it. However, an air ambulance as I have earlier mentioned, is our emergency room in the sky which means... only a highly-skilled pilot, a medically-souped-up aircraft, a highly-experienced flight doctor and an equally highly-experienced medical flight/nurse can provide patients... the best critical air care should anything happen during transit. 

When I speak about the words "highly-experienced", the most important points to be considered in choosing an air ambulance provider:

1. A lot of flying hours done.

Doing Medevac especially on bad weather conditions is not easy as practicing medicine in the sky presents its own difficulties. Only those with the most number of flying hours or years of flying done for the sole purpose of Medevac are the ones I would trust my own life with.

2. A vast expertise on handling patients with various medical cases, injuries, etc. in tight quarters of an air ambulance. 

The depletion of oxygen and changing air pressure are always medical challenges. Medevac pilots and their dedicated medical flight crew with many flying Medevac hours served,know this very well. I wouldn't count on an air ambulance provider banking on constant changes of medical doctors and nurses, volunteers, newly-grads and newbies.

3. An in-depth intensive care experience by air.

The noise, vibrations and the temperature of the aircraft can present problems for the patient's health and comfort. Hundreds or thousands feet in the air in tight, sometimes turbulent cabins of a turboprop aircraft and helicopters, the medical flight crew restart hearts, insert breathing tubes, deliver babies and save lives.

With all 3 points to consider, I only know of one Air Ambulance provider in the Philippines who does it professionally and it is Airgurus. Aside from the fact that they are the only aircraft provider with a state-of-the-art medical equipment with litter kit (double-deck stretcher) they always have successful medevac operations, the most number of medevac services served and most of all, they do not allow putting a life in the hands of volunteering doctors and nurses as they have a dedicated medical flight crew.

How to contact Airgurus?

For serious inquiries only, contact +632 6248274 | +632 2749758 | +639 925 889 2987 | +63 917 885 7911or email them at info@airgurus.ph. For fast quotation, please visit the website www.airgurus.ph.

MEDEVAC VIA SKYAID: WHY WE FILIPINOS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Most Filipinos do not have an inkling as to what Medevac really is. For the past 7 months, I have been working for an aircraft company called Airgurus... the only  provider of professional Medevac / Air Ambulance services. I have been actively sharing other people's experiences in the internet as I have witnessed the unfolding dramas of medical evacuations as I am, myself, part of the Medevac team.  However, it was only till yesterday that I got a full grip of why we Filipinos really need it the most. 

Being a single parent of a 7 years old kid, I was considering of having my son undergo medical evacuation although it wasn't how I perceived my son would have for his first heli or private plane experience. We were so fortunate though, that we didn't have to go through it as treatment was given first hand and is on his way to recovery. 


Medical evacuation is the process of retrieving an ailing person and transport him to facilities where proper medical care is available whether it be land-based or airborne. Airborne medical evacuations occur many times each day, all over the world. We call it "medevac" for short and someday, you just might need it too.

The medevac experts say that the odds are one only in 10,000 that you will become sick or injured and that you will need special transportation towards home or at least to a modern fully equipped hospital. When it happens though, the financial burden can be as catastrophic as the health crisis that precipitated it especially that us Filipinos, do not have medevac coverage in our life and health insurance in the country.


It is sad. When you get sick in the provinces and be needing a medevac to a hospital in Manila, expect that you would be spending at about US$10,000. The price gets higher as the location goes further away from Manila. If medical specialists or exotic equipment (say a neonatal team or a balloon pump for cardiac patients) are required, the price even goes higher.

In our country, medevac operations use dedicated private aircraft (fixed wings or a helicopter) as commercial flights do not allow this. In extreme conditions, helicopter or specially arranged flights may be required and the cost of this transport can be really devastating.  Reasonable examples include ocean rescue, mountain rescue and remote rescue. We can't prevent illness but if something happens to us, we have the solution in the Philippines... Airgurus' SkyAid.  

SkyAid is not an insurance plan. It's a membership plan of Airgurus Ltd. Co. that provides Medical Evacuation (Medevac) when your medical condition requires immediate transportation from the place where you are injured or sick to the nearest hospital where you can receive the medical treatment you need.  Capt. Harry Lero of Airgurus thought about this, knowing the dilemma of each Filipino in the country when it comes to medevac... as it is very expensive indeed. 


I am telling you, my dear readers... based on my own experience, that it wise for us to enroll ourselves and our loved ones on SkyAid. Obtaining medical treatment and hospital care alone can be already expensive and medical evacuations can be as catastrophic as the health crisis before it. 


Please read more details on SkyAid at the Airgurus website www.airgurus.ph. 


SkyAid can save your life... or life's savings.  


God bless us all in the Philippines and God bless SkyAid!