HARARE
–
Zimbabwe’s
free
air
ambulances
are
being
flown
and
maintained
by
Russian
pilots
and
technicians
because
of
a
skills
shortage
locally,
health
minister
Douglas
Mombeshora
has
told
the
National
Assembly.
In
an
opaque
transaction
in
May
2023,
the
government
acquired
32
helicopters
from
Russian
at
a
cost
of
US$10
million
each,
with
12
assigned
to
be
used
as
air
ambulances
while
the
rest
were
given
to
police
and
the
military.
It
later
emerged
that
the
helicopters
were
acquired
with
no
plan,
and
the
air
ambulance
service
would
not
start
until
July
2024
–
a
year
later.
Currently,
three
helicopters
are
flying
the
air
ambulance
service
–
two
in
Harare
and
one
in
Bulawayo
–
with
nine
other
choppers
still
grounded.
As
of
last
Wednesday,
at
least
411
patients
with
life-threatening
conditions
had
been
airlifted
to
hospitals
in
Harare
and
Bulawayo,
Mombeshora
said.
They
include
women
with
pregnancy
complications
and
accident
victims,
he
added.
“The
running
of
the
helicopters
is
estimated
at
US$36,000
per
month,”
Mombeshora
told
the
National
Assembly,
responding
to
a
question
by
Emakhandeni-Luveve
MP
Discent
Collins
Bajila.
Mombeshora
added:
“To
date,
345
patients
have
been
flown
to
the
Harare
base
at
Sally
Mugabe
Central
Hospital,
while
66
patients
were
evacuated
to
the
Bulawayo
base
at
the
United
Bulawayo
Hospitals.
These
cases
have
included
maternity
complications,
premature
births,
and
other
critical
emergencies.
Many
lives
have
been
saved.”
He
said
they
were
planning
to
position
more
air
ambulances
in
Victoria
Falls,
Mutare,
and
Masvingo.
But
Mombeshora
admitted
that
there
were
currently
no
pilots
for
the
helicopters.
“The
air
ambulance
assets—namely
the
helicopters—are
wholly
owned
by
the
government
of
Zimbabwe,”
he
explained.
“Operating
these
aircraft
requires
highly
technical
expertise,
including
checks
by
IATA-certified
engineering
technicians
before
and
after
each
flight.
He
said
the
government
had
recently
signed
a
contract
with
Game
Drive,
a
technical
aviation
operator,
to
provide
qualified
pilots
and
technicians.
The
company
is
also
tasked
with
training
Zimbabwean
personnel
to
eventually
take
over
operations
from
the
Russians.