A Maltese company offering medical services abroad has a new air ambulance for patients in North Africa and southern Europe.
The plane is equipped to offer the same facilities found in an ambulance, an accident and emergency department and an intensive care unit, Medilink International CEO Simon Camilleri said yesterday.
The company has been based in Malta for the past 15 years but has a very low local profile because it offers medical services to foreign companies which operate in remote locations, such as oil rigs.
The air ambulance will be used to transport employees or even tourists who are injured or in need of medical treatment. Even though it started operating only last week, it has already been sent out to pick up a patient in North Africa.
The aircraft, a Beech 200 Super King Air, can also cater for adult intensive care, neonatal, paediatric and obstetric transports. It can hold two stretchers or one stretcher and one incubator, or two incubators. It can carry up to four passengers including a doctor and nurse.
Twenty-four Maltese nurses and doctors have been trained to provide medical services on the plane. Although the company did not disclose how much the plane cost, a spokesman said it was a very substantial investment because it included training and operational costs.
Mr Camilleri said the air ambulance was a natural step for the company especially since it was used to operating in very "tough environments".
The company has around 80 employees and operates with a Tunisian partner.
Malta's geographic position was extremely important to the company's success because it was between Africa and Europe, Mr Camilleri said. He also cited the island's excellent track record in healthcare, having recently been ranked fifth by the World Health Organisation in health systems.
This statement was echoed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who visited Medilink's offices in Qormi and was then shown the air ambulance, which is kept at the Lufthansa Technik hangars at the airport.
Medilink's investment was one of a series of initiatives that reflected the country's performance in recent months and came after an investment at ST Microelectronics and another €26.5 million investment in the Dragonara Casino.
"Targeting niche areas like Medilink did is the secret of Malta's success - we need to continue specialising," Dr Gonzi said.
Through the air ambulance, Medilink was providing quick, efficient services that would save people's lives, he added.