Swiss Air-Rescue Rega reaches new heights in air medical rescue
In 2021, Swiss Air-Rescue Rega came to the assistance of more than 12,000 people for the first time; Rega helicopters were in the air particularly frequently, and the three ambulance jets also recorded more missions than in the previous year.
Besides its regular operational activities, Rega continued to assist the Swiss authorities in handling the coronavirus pandemic. The Rega Operations Centre organized a total of 18,017 missions, which is on average 50 missions per 24-hour period and 10.7 per cent more than the previous year. The Rega crews transported approximately 34 patients per day (12,284, +10.3 per cent). The number of patients and missions do not match because on Rega missions, several patients may be transported at the same time, for example, or search flights are performed without any patients at all. Furthermore, among other things, the Rega Operations Centre also organises missions for the mountain rescuers from the Swiss Alpine Club SAC and animal transports on behalf of Swiss mountain farmers.
More helicopter missions than ever before
Particularly in demand were the helicopter crews stationed at the 13 countrywide Rega bases and one partner base, who provide medical assistance by air to the Swiss population. Rega’s national Operations Centre organized 14,330 missions, which meant that the rescue helicopters were in the air 8.1 per cent more often than the year before. Also registering an increase were both the rescue missions at the incident site (8,444, +8.6 per cent) and the number of transfer flights from one hospital to another (2,854, +9.2 per cent). Generally speaking, the missions performed by the Rega helicopters are subject to natural fluctuations. The figures for 2021 reflect, among other things, the good weather in the autumn, as well as the leisure activities of the Swiss population, and the fact that the team is now operational at night thanks to night vision goggles.
Increase in international medical repatriations
Rega comes to the aid of people in distress not only in Switzerland, but also all over the world. It arranges for patients who have become seriously ill or injured abroad to be flown back home to Switzerland on board one of Rega’s three ambulance jets or on a scheduled aircraft, accompanied by a member of Rega’s medical staff. In 2021, the Rega crews repatriated 970 patients; 858 by ambulance jet (+32.6 per cent) and 112 onboard a scheduled aircraft (+0.9 per cent). This growth in the number of repatriations is attributable to increased travel activity on the part the Swiss people compared to the first year of the pandemic, when international travel dropped significantly.
Transport of 702 Covid-19 patients and assistance for the authorities
In 2021, Rega transported a total of 702 (+53.9 per cent) patients infected with Covid-19 on board its aircraft – 471 (+49,1 per cent) of them by rescue helicopter and 231 (+65 per cent) o board an ambulance jet. In addition, as in the previous year, Rega assisted the authorities in their efforts to deal with the pandemic, and also performed various new tasks. Among other things, at the request of the government, Rega’s Operations Centre continued to support the Swiss hospitals as a national coordination center by organizing the distribution of patients among the intensive care units. Moreover, in autumn 2021, Rega assumed the role of coordination center for repatriations and was tasked with coordinating the transfer requests by assistance companies for intensive care patients living in Switzerland.