Zimbabwe’s free emergency air ambulance service is proving to be a game-changer, with over 260 critically ill patients airlifted to major health facilities across the country in the past seven months.
According to the state-run The Chronicle daily, Helidrive Zimbabwe has conducted 267 emergency evacuations since its launch in August last year as part of a government-backed initiative to improve access to life-saving medical care.
The air ambulance service, equipped with high-quality intensive care, has primarily responded to road accidents and critical illnesses, swiftly transferring patients from remote areas to major hospitals.
“In January alone, we recorded 14 cases in Bulawayo, while in February, we had 16 cases. In Harare, we have had 75 cases this year, including 15 children, eight of whom were under the age of one,” Helidrive Zimbabwe’s chief medical doctor Evgenii Kibakin said.
Among the notable cases, two critically ill children were airlifted from United Bulawayo Hospitals to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare – a five-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and a nine-month-old infant with bilateral retinoblastoma.
Currently, three helicopters operate daily in Harare and Bulawayo, ensuring rapid response times.
The service is staffed by Russian and Zimbabwean doctors, nurses and emergency responders, offering round-the-clock critical care.
The initiative is part of Zimbabwe’s broader healthcare modernisation agenda, spearheaded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to create an efficient health sector by 2030.
Mnangagwa secured Russian investment for the air ambulance service during a visit to Moscow last year, leading to a partnership with Helidrive Air Ambulance, a firm with a fleet of over 100 medical helicopters operating in Russia for nearly a decade.
As part of local capacity building, 40 Zimbabwean pilots, 50 doctors, 100 nurses, 100 dispatchers and 10 engineers have been trained to sustain and expand the service.
JN/APA