Transbaikalia Health Ministry, District Head Comment on Air Ambulance Fine

On January 23, Transbaikalia Health Minister Oksana Nemakina and Nerchinsky District Head Sergey Komogortsev commented to Chita.Ru on the situation where an air ambulance was fined for landing and taking off from a site without permission.

According to a ruling by the transport prosecutor in Transbaikalia, an official was fined for violating airspace use rules, as became known on January 16. The department clarified that there were air ambulance flights, i.e., transporting patients, but the service did not comply with requirements and did not obtain permission from the administration for landing and takeoff.

‘Yes, such a fact occurred. Our air ambulance generally operates only when there is a threat to the patient«s life; during rescue operations, the air ambulance has priority landing rights. They, naturally, carry out flights to save human lives and do so not of their own volition. We always choose the location most convenient for transporting the patient and closest to the institution where they are,’ said Oksana Nemakina.

District Head Sergey Komogortsev responded that this landing site for the air ambulance was allocated a long time ago.

‘That is precisely where such a site is provided; everything is cleared, there are no wires. I don«t know who designated it, but most likely the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education, I think. And I haven»t heard that anyone was fined, but patients were picked up, yes, indeed. We haven«t received anything like that to our address; we don»t even issue such permits. On the contrary, we are interested in having the air ambulance fly to us. But I am not even authorized to give such permits,’ noted the district head.