AMREF Flying Doctors have appealed to county governments to consider having an emergency fund that may be redeemed in times of disasters, and specifically during medical evacuations.
The emergency service provider issued that the costs of airlifting critically ill or injured patients from far flung regions that have no Intensive Care facilities and other specialized equipment are non-existent and if available are very costly.
According to the AMREF Flying Doctors Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director Vadera Bettina, it is difficult and very expensive for them when attending to medical emergencies in counties such as Marsabit, Wajir and Garissa.
"When we are called for medical emergencies that put the lives of people at risk, we can never refuse to heed the calls. If we do not attend, we may eventually lose the patient, because inside our emergency aircraft we offer services that improve the patient's condition hence saving their lives," Vadera said.
Dr Vadera further disclosed that they spend about a million shillings when attending to medical emergencies.
"The costs incurred in medical evacuations for one patient from Mandera County, for instance can cost approximately Sh1 million," she said, adding that AMREF Doctors spends an average of between Sh15 million to Sh20 million yearly for such evacuations.