EDITORIAL - Ambulance disasters

Search teams have yet to find the victims and wreckage of a helicopter of the Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services, which crashed in the waters off Palawan on March 1 this year. The PAMAS medical ambulance was bringing a patient, accompanied by two relatives and a nurse, to a hospital in Brooke’s Point from Balabac town in Palawan when the “Yellow Bee” Alouette helicopter disappeared.

Last Thursday, another medical helicopter of PAMAS crash-landed in Bukidnon. Fortunately, none of the two pilots and three passengers died in the accident, although one passenger was reportedly injured. One of the pilots reportedly said the helicopter lost power at around 3,000 feet, forcing him to make an emergency landing on a banana plantation in Lantapan town.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will have to tighten supervision over light aircraft, particularly those used as medical ambulances. The CAAP, which is investigating the accident in Bukidnon, said PAMAS did not file a flight plan for the helicopter that crash-landed.

Before COVID struck, a Beechcraft King Air light plane bound for Manila from the Dipolog Airport in Zamboanga del Norte crashed into a resort in Pansol, Laguna in September 2019. All the nine people on the medical ambulance operated by Lionair died: the pilot, co-pilot, the patient being transported, his wife, a doctor and nurses. The crash also caused a fire at the private resort in Pansol, where several persons were injured. CAAP, in its final investigation report, attributed the accident to bad weather and pilot error.

The air accidents also highlight the inadequacy of medical facilities in the country. Tourism industry players have said this lack has been among the concerns raised by foreigners when considering a visit to the Philippines. The lack is evident even in many of the country’s most popular travel destinations.

Top-tier hospitals are concentrated in Metro Manila and a handful of urban centers such as Cebu City. There would be little need for medical aviation services if there were more of such fully equipped hospitals outside Metro Manila. In some tourist destinations, unfortunately, even emergency medical facilities are inadequate. Visitors who can afford it can opt for medical airlifts in case of an emergency. It will take time before the country can provide the needed medical facilities in key areas so that airlifts won’t be needed. In the meantime, the government can do more to promote safety in medical aviation operations.