Manipal Hospitals joins hands with Sarla Aviation and Aeromed to transform emergency medical transport in India

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In a significant step towards transforming emergency medical transportation in India, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bengaluru has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarla Aviation and Aeromed International Rescue Services to explore the development of next-generation air ambulance services using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The partnership brings together Sarla Aviation's eVTOL technology, Manipal Hospitals' network of hospitals and clinical expertise, and Aeromed's experience in air ambulance and medical evacuation services. The aim is to develop a seamless system that can transport patients directly between their location and the appropriate hospital, helping reduce delays caused by road traffic and long-distance travel.

The MoU will focus on developing the aircraft's medical cabin, establishing patient transfer procedures and identifying medical routes where faster transportation could make a critical difference. The partners will also work on emergency transfers for trauma, heart attacks, strokes, newborns requiring specialised care and organ transplantation.

As part of the collaboration, the teams will jointly work on designing the medical bay and integrating essential equipment into Sarla Aviation's Shunya eVTOL aircraft, while keeping patient safety and comfort at the centre. They will also develop standard procedures for transferring patients between ground ambulances, the aircraft and hospitals, including protocols for situations where patients require urgent escalation of care. Training programmes, insurance and safety frameworks, as well as research into patient outcomes, will also form part of the collaboration.