Section 1
About the Flying Doctors Air Ambulance Service
1. What is an Air ambulance service?
Air ambulances services are medical transportation services offered on medically equipped aircraft. This can either be fixed wing medical plane, rotary wing helicopter or a compartment placed on a scheduled commercial aircraft.
Air Ambulances maybe a new innovation in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria.However, air ambulances have operated globally for decades and the concept of aeromedical transport has been around since the invention of hot air balloons.
Read here for more information.
2. Is Flying Doctors Nigeria air ambulance service only available in Nigeria?
No, we operate across Africa concentrating on West and Central Africa. Countries we commonly work in include: Ghana, Republic of Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Niger, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Chad.
Read more about our air ambulance service offerings across Africa please review the material below in French and English:
- Air Ambulance services, medical evacuation cover and duty of care in Africa
- Air ambulance systems can make centralized healthcare in Africa more accessible
- LIMITED MEDICAL FACILITIES ACROSS AFRICA – FOCUS ON CAMEROON
- Les ambulances aériennes de Flying Doctors Nigeria
3. Where is your office located?
Our office is located at 2nd floor EAN jet hangar, Murtala Mohammed international airport Ikeja, Lagos.
This is a strategic location that gives us access to both West and Central Africa minutes after we take off.
Read more about our location here: Flying Doctors Location
4. Do you evacuate patients every day?
We handle cases every day from across West and Central Africa. To see what we do every day click to read
5. What is your response time to attend to an emergency?
We activate immediately we are mobilised and confirmed to perform an air ambulance transfer.
Read more here Air Ambulance/Medevac Operations in Nigeria/West Africa
6. How long has your company been running?
We have been in operations for nearly 10 years; operating across the entire region
7. How can we contact you in an emergency?
You can reach us via the following medium:
Tel: +234-703-509-7761, 0700FLYINGDRS/0700359464377
UK Call Centre: +44-794-423-8480
E-mail: sales@flyingdoctorsnigeria.com
Web: www.flyingdoctorsnigeria.com
Section 2
About medical care, equipment and doctors
8. Do you the equipment to transfer a ventilated patients/critical care patients?
We have all the required equipment to manage critical care patients. Our equipment include oxylog ventilator, multipara meter monitor, infusion pump and well as incubator for neonatal transport.
Click links below to read more about critical care transport and medical equipment:
9. Who is fit to fly?
There is no patient that is not fit to fly. As long as there is a medical justification or need and a destination, we can successfully transfer such patient to the appropriate facility.
Continue reading about fit to fly requirements here.
10. How many doctors will be on the air ambulance flight?
The severity of patient medical condition determines the level and number of physician that will be on the air ambulance flight
11. Do your doctors receive any extra training for air ambulance transport?
Yes, we have periodical master class session for all our doctors. As well as assessments and online learning program on topics such as crew resource management, critical care transportation, aerospace physiology, transfer of the ventilated patient, in-flight emergencies etc
12. How do you transport patient with infectious disease?
The recent Ebola epidemic has highlighted a need for specialist transport services for patients suffering from highly contagious disease, particularly in Africa. In order to receive care, these patients may have to be transported nationally, regionally or even internationally. Read more here Transport of patients with infectious disease
13. What do you mean by the term medevac cover?
Flying Doctors medevac cover is an emergency evacuation plan that covers both local and international evacuations for as low as $50 per month. Click to download our medevac cover brochure here and learn more.
14. What medical personal accompany patients?
The medical condition of patient determines the level of physician that will be on the flight. In most cases it’s either an anaesthetist, emergency doctor, paramedic or a nurse.
Section 3
About Flying Doctors Air Ambulance cost and logistics
15. Do you have your services on commercial flight? We have performed successful medical evacuations for patients across Africa, Europe and America with our medical stretcher aboard commercial flight.
To read more click on below articles:
- Stories from The Skies: Commercial Stretcher Transport to South Africa
- Commercial Medical & Stretcher Aeromedical Services in Nigeria and Africa
16. Do you offer medical escort services?
Yes we do. Countless times our doctors have accompanied patients from Nigeria to countries like UK, America, South Africa, India etc. continue reading here.
17. Do you provide ground ambulance services?
Yes, we provide standby ground ambulance services through our wide range network of ground ambulance providers across the Nigeria and across the region. Continue reading here .
18. How do I transport my grandmother from Abuja to Lagos?
This can be done via our Emergency transport unit which is a medical cabin aboard a commercial flight or the full air ambulance service a private dedicated plane to the patient alone. Click here and here for more information.
19. What is the cost for transporting a patient from Lagos to New York?
This depends on the medical condition of patient most suitable option for patient to be transported either on air ambulance, emergency transport unit or medical escort.
20. Can you evacuate from a remote site?
No matter how remote your site, even if it’s an offshore facility, we are able to evacuate within minutes. Read our remote site operations article here.
21. I can’t afford an Air ambulances, what solutions can you offer me?
We have other solutions such as the emergency transport unit, a medical cabin on commercial flight or medical escort base on the medical condition of patient.
22. How do I make payment for your services?
We accept bank transfers, cash and guaranty of payment from certain vetted companies.
23. Do you transfer neonates/children?
We have a paediatric team to transfer children. We also have a neonatal transport system (Baby Pod) that we use for medevac of neonates. Continue reading here.
24. Can you transfer within West Africa?
Yes, our medevac operations cover West Africa & Central Africa & beyond
25. Can you perform offshore medical evacuation?
Yes we can, we have our helicopters on standby in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Read our article Flying Doctors Nigeria offshore operations.
26. Can your helicopters land directly at hospitals?
Yes, we have landed successfully at National Hospital Abuja. We land at several hospitals across the region regularly.
27. Is your service expensive?
No, our services are cost-effective and affordable. Our medical evacuation ranges from NGN200,000 which guarantees the most cost-effective rates for air ambulance service across the world. We regularly benchmark our costs against other global services to make sure that we are delivering on our promise to offer a cost effective service across Africa to those that need it the most.
28. Can a relative accompany me on air ambulance flight? How many?
Yes, at least 2 persons.