Police helicopters are expected to be mobilized in the city's emergency medical responses, according to the Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.

Two police helicopters fly past the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai on Oct 2, 2009. The city's medical authority has reached an agreement with the local police bureau to dispatch police helicopters for first aid.

The center said it has reached an agreement with the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau's police aviation force, and starting this year police helicopters will be dispatched to improve the speed of first aid.

Introducing police helicopters into medical rescue will help develop the city's air ambulance and set up a three-way medical emergency system, combining roads, waterways and the air, Guan Min, an official from the center, said on Monday.

The city has indeed made great efforts to improve its emergency medical capacity and service. Last year, an emergency network covering the city's 72 second-level and above hospitals was established in which hospitals will receive a patient's health information and condition while the patient is en route.

"It (the helicopter) will help gain more time to save people because the ambulance can often get stuck in a traffic jam as a large number of cars hit the road every day," said Zhao Huaqiang, director of the Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.

Since last September, the city has seen the successful transferring of four patients by helicopter, each taking 10 minutes on average, which cannot be achieved on the road.

Xu Jianguang, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau, said the three-way medical emergency system will become common in the future.

In the United States, the five most comprehensive hospitals all have their own helicopters and landing pads. They have an average of six to eight flights each day, he said.

Currently, four hospitals in Shanghai - Huashan, Ruijin, Changhai and Changzheng - have helipads, as well as fast channels from the landing pad to the operating room.

However, not every patient can afford an air ambulance due to high service fees.

The cost for a single helicopter pickup reportedly exceeds 20,000 yuan (US$3,000).

Zhao Huaqiang said the detailed charging scheme is still in discussion.

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