“I have a strong conviction that the role of the Air Force will not be undermined, but rather seen in a positive light,” stated the President of the Association of Armed Forces Officers, marking a week since the Air Force’s helicopters were employed in emergency medical transport missions.
This interim solution was announced by the Government until Gulf Med provides the four helicopters for patient transport as per the contract with the National Institute of Medical Emergency, which was expected to commence on July 1.
According to the President of the Association, Carlos Marques, this situation causes “some concern among the Portuguese, and rightly so,” but he warned that “responsibility should not be placed on the military” for situations exceeding their mission and competencies, which are related to the organization of the National Health Service.
“Currently, the Air Force is offering the resources it has. If there is a desire to assign greater value to the military for this kind of mission, the Portuguese state must provide necessary and sufficient means and empower the branch,” he argued.
Marques also suggested that the involvement of the Air Force in emergency transport required “a more considered preliminary analysis.” He pointed out that while the Air Force’s resources do not replace the structure of the National Institute of Medical Emergency, they “complement existing needs” in the country.
He also described the response being provided by the Air Force as “very valuable,” noting that human resources, which form an “immense structure,” are being deployed to address these missions.
“They have our applause and strong support for the service they are providing, and they could do even better if they had the appropriate resources to respond without any constraints,” highlighted Carlos Marques.
The helicopters employed by the Air Force in patient transport include the Merlin EH-101s, which are larger than those typically used by the National Institute of Medical Emergency. These helicopters are nearly 20 meters long and have an 18-meter wingspan, with the capacity to transport 30 passengers or 16 stretchers.
The Ministry of Defense stated today that one of these helicopters, departing from the Montijo base, took 2 hours and 15 minutes to transport a 49-year-old patient with a cranial trauma from Castelo Branco to Coimbra, refuting claims that the transport took over five hours.
In addition to the four Air Force aircraft, Gulf Med provides, via direct arrangement until the contract is activated, two Airbus helicopters, stationed at the bases in Macedo de Cavaleiros and Loulé, which operate only during the daytime.
The contract between the National Institute of Medical Emergency and Gulf Med, headquartered in Malta with a branch in Portugal, was awarded in March, planning for four medium helicopters to operate from midnight on July 1 until June 30, 2030.
With a value of approximately 77.5 million euros, the contract stipulates that the aircraft and their crews must be in a state of permanent and immediate readiness (alert state) for flights 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which has not yet come into effect.
