Airmedic is ending its prehospital helicopter transport program in its current form.
The decision was made by the company due to the upcoming implementation of helicopter medical transport by Quebec City, for which it does not expect to be awarded the contract.
Starting Monday, the sale and renewal of subscriptions for emergency helicopter transport will no longer be offered.
The company, which has 175 employees at five operational bases in Quebec, including Saint-Honoré, justifies its decision by the fact that the Quebec government "is preparing to award a major contract for helicopter medical transport of Quebec patients to a Western Canadian provider."
About ten employees were assigned to helicopter transport.
This government decision is causing significant disruptions and major impacts on the pre-hospital helicopter transport service provided by Airmedic and compromises the maintenance of a fleet of helicopters and a highly specialized workforce necessary to provide the service as it is currently structured, laments Raphaele Bourgault, manager of business development and strategic communications at Airmedic, in a written statement sent to Radio-Canada.
Ms. Bourgault maintains that helicopter medical transport is an essential project that Quebecers in rural areas have been waiting for for a quarter of a century. In her view, they deserve an efficient, high-quality service provided by a local company.
Airmedic's pre-hospital emergency service provides highly specialized care for patients in critical condition in remote areas, while ensuring continuity of vital care until they reach the hospital best suited to their condition.
A $46 million contract
Last August, Quebec launched a public call for tenders to select a provider to implement helicopter medical transport. The province is the only one in the country that does not have a public service of this kind.
The goal of this new service is to meet the needs of populations located between 75 and 275 kilometers from major hospitals, particularly for heart attacks, strokes, serious trauma, and neonatal and pediatric emergencies.
A consultation of the Quebec government's electronic tendering system reveals that Summit Helicopters, headquartered in Kamloops, British Columbia, is the leading bidder, with a bid of $46,135,410 for helicopter medical transport services for the government air service.
It is unthinkable that the government would award such a strategic contract for Quebec's regions to a low-cost carrier from outside the province.
Quote from Raphaele Bourgault, Business Development Manager at Airmedic
Airmedic's proposal came in second place, with a bid of $63,397,720.
Hélicoptères Canadiens, another Quebec company, came in third with a bid of $72,749,724.
Finally, a Winnipeg-based company rounded out the list of bidders.
We submitted a robust proposal as part of the bidding process, which maximizes Airmedic's unparalleled 25 years of experience throughout Quebec.
We are also the only company here that operates a fleet entirely dedicated to emergency medical services and interhospital transfers, Ms. Bourgault points out.
The Ministry of Transport confirmed to Radio-Canada that the process of awarding the contract to the lowest compliant bidder is pending completion.
Airmedic eagerly awaits the outcome of the process.
Raphaele Bourgault points out that pre-hospital care is at the heart of Airmedic's identity.
"We were pioneers, we built something unique, and we believe it is an essential service to the public," she says.
She adds that Airmedic has been campaigning for 26 years to have the emergency medical evacuation program integrated into the public prehospital system.
The helicopter medical transport program was the only viable solution.
The imminent awarding of the contract to a British Columbia company has closed that last door, she summarizes.
Transition for customers
Pre-hospital helicopter service accounts for only 7% of Airmedic's total operations.
Air medical transport in Quebec and internationally accounts for the rest.
The company promises to maintain "coordination services until all current subscriptions expire."
An official communication will be sent to customers on Monday.
In addition to citizens, Airmedic serves public organizations such as Hydro-Québec and SOPFEU, Indigenous communities, municipalities, and private companies.
Current customers will be offered two options: request cancellation of their subscription or confirm its continuation until expiration.
Given this situation, we anticipate that we will not be able to maintain the pre-hospital medical transport services provided by the Airmedic fleet in the long term, said the business development and strategic communications manager.
Few jobs lost
A total of ten employees worked on a non-exclusive basis in the pre-hospital emergency program.
All affected employees can continue their careers at Airmedic in high-growth sectors, including interhospital air transport in Quebec and international medical repatriation, two markets we wish to continue developing.
Airmedic assures that the vast majority of employees will be assigned to other positions.
As for the pilots, some of them are qualified to fly aircraft in the company's fleet.
For the others, it will be relatively easy to find new jobs.
Summit Helicopters was unable to respond to our requests for comments and interviews at the time of writing.
A statement will be provided in the coming hours.
By
iceman ·
