Air Zermatt cooperates with Lucerne Cantonal Hospital
Air Zermatt and the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital (LUKS) are entering into a cooperation agreement. Specialists in anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine from the LUKS will be on duty as emergency doctors for Air Zermatt from April 2023.
In recent years, Air Zermatt has invested considerably in shortening the release times during the night. Among other things, two Air Zermatt rescue crews have been on call around the clock for years: The base in Gampel is manned day and night 365 days a year, while in Zermatt the crew is on call at the base during the day and from home at night outside the high season. In addition, in Zermatt an ambulance crew is on call at the base around the clock.
At the base in Gampel in particular, an ambulance crew is on call 24 or 48 hours at a time. To ensure that Air Zermatt can provide the best possible emergency medical care during missions, it relies on medical specialists in anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine. In future, specialist medical staff from the LUKS will be on board. This was stated in a cooperation agreement.
"We are pleased to have a specialist from the LUKS in our team all the time," says Philipp Venetz, medical director of Air Zermatt. "The cooperation reinforces the competence of our rescue service and guarantees high medical quality." Air rescue is attractive for medical professionals and exerts a special fascination, says Venetz. "In the field, very quick decisions have to be made in ever-changing situations. This helps the mission teams to develop professionally and personally."
"The cooperation gives employees a very interesting insight into air rescue," says Prof. Christoph Konrad, Head of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Head of the Department of Clinical Cross-Sectional Medicine at LUKS. Safe and complication-free transport is crucial for the recovery of patients. "Focusing specifically on primary care for a certain period of time raises awareness of how decisions are made," says Konrad. In the hospital, inpatient care then takes place again, sometimes over a longer period of time. "The opportunity to work in different disciplines and in different places makes the job even more attractive and will meet with a great response," Konrad is convinced.
Air Zermatt has enjoyed an exceptionally good working relationship with the Valais Hospital for many years. Discussions are currently being held with the management of the Valais Hospital with the aim of further intensifying this cooperation. A similar cooperation agreement is planned as the one concluded with the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital.