Lack of pilots grounds Zimbabwe’s helicopter ambulance service

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.

Zimlive