The Ministry of Health Plans to Strengthen Emergency Medical Care Through the Introduction of a Medical Air Transport Service for Critical Patients
Air Ocean Maroc has been awarded the contract for the provision of medical air transport services on behalf of the Ministry of Health, as part of its Emergency Medical Assistance operations, for a total amount of MAD 30 million (MAD 29,760,000).
As part of its support for the National Strategy for the Management of Medical Emergencies and Health Risks, the Ministry of Health aims to enhance emergency medical response by introducing a dedicated medical air transport service for urgent cases.
This service will ensure both rapid deployment of emergency medical teams and improved transfer times for critical patients to designated referral hospitals.
Air Missions Ordered by the Regional SAMU Regulating Physician
Requests for medical air missions will be made exclusively by the Regional SAMU regulating physician, as specified by the Ministry of Health in the related tender documents. It is the responsibility of this physician to request, when necessary, that the flight be classified as an emergency mission.
The pilot remains solely responsible for assessing the aeronautical feasibility of each flight. A flight logbook must be maintained by the service provider, detailing for each mission—signed by both the pilot and the attending physician—the flight number (in chronological order), the classification of the flight, the date, departure and return times, and the total flight duration expressed in hours and decimal fractions.
The resources to be deployed by the contractor to carry out medical air transport operations under this contract include:
- The provision of a twin-engine aircraft capable of operating under Performance Class 3 standards, with a minimum endurance of four hours, taking into account regulatory fuel reserves and a payload equivalent to two pilots, a two-member medical team, one patient, and 100 kg of medical equipment;
- The availability of all personnel required to constitute the flight crew;
- Aircraft refueling services;
- All elements required under Moroccan aviation maintenance regulations (airworthiness monitoring, PART 145-approved maintenance organization or equivalent, qualified personnel);
- Specific resources necessary for emergency flight operations (operations service, certified installations, and approved aircraft configurations).
