Medical staff at the People's Liberation Army's Wuxi 101 Hospital take part in an air rescue drill. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A patient was rushed by helicopter to the People's Liberation Army's Wuxi 101 Hospital on Sept 28, as the hospital became the first facility in Jiangsu province to launch an air rescue service, Wuxi Daily reported.

According to Shen Jianhua, the hospital's political commissar, the hospital is creating a flexible air rescue service in collaboration with the local air force, emergency centers and highway traffic police that will bring in helicopters in emergencies.

The helicopter rescue service will be particularly valuable for patients suffering myocardial and cerebral infarctions, Shen added, since patients treated within two hours and one hour respectively stand a higher chance of recovery. A hotline will be created where doctors can talk to patients to evaluate their condition and decide whether to deploy a helicopter on a case by case basis.

Wuxi 101 Hospital is also launching a number of other initiatives to improve its level of service, including creating an online service platform, hosting a hospital management forum and organizing a minimally invasive treatment skills contest.