CEGA to provide transport for swine flu patients
As concern rises over the potential shortage of intensive care beds caused by the swine flu pandemic, UK claims management and medical assistance company CEGA Group Services has announced that it is to provide an intensive care air transport service for patients who are critically ill with swine flu.
As concern rises over the potential shortage of intensive care beds caused by the swine flu pandemic, UK claims management and medical assistance company CEGA Group Services has announced that it is to provide an intensive care air transport service for patients who are critically ill with swine flu. CEGA’s chief flight doctor, Juliane Kause, said the company expects swine flu to put increased pressure on intensive care hospital beds. Should the pandemic escalate to the extent that the UK runs out of capacity to treat patients in need of intensive care, CEGA will transport them to a hospital appropriate to their care anywhere in the Europe Union (EU), providing an intensive care bed is available, ‘as is their right as EU citizens’. Kause added: “EU patients may also be brought back to the UK for intensive care treatment if they need help at a later date, when beds are available. We appear to be slightly ahead of the rest of Europe in the development of the swine flu pandemic, so we could find that, whilst most cases in the UK might occur between September and November, mainland Europe might have more cases between January and March.” CEGA, an Intensive Care Society Industry member, has been operating its own air ambulance fleet for over thirty years. Its planes are equipped with intensive care medical equipment and its patients are escorted by specialist intensive care medical staff. CEGA’s clients include National Health Service organisations, the Home Office, numerous high street name travel insurance companies and private individuals.