DEHRADUN, 11 Sept: Believe it or not, a Delhi businessman, who had suffered a severe heart attack while on a visit to Mussoorie, was airlifted to Escorts Heart Hospital, Delhi from Jolly Grant airport at a cost of Rs 1,40,000 on Wednesday. The air ambulance, which was a Eurocopter, left Delhi at 9 a.m on Wednesday and reached Jolly Grant at 10 a.m. An ambulance from the Doon Hospital had earlier driven the patient there.

Ashok Solomon, who arrived in Mussoorie for a vacation, suffered a massive heart attack on Monday. He was immediately rushed to Doon Hospital for treatment. Due to deterioration in his condition and lack of heart care facilities in the city, the Hospital authorities immediately contacted the Air Ambulance unit of Escorts Heart Hospital.

According to Dr. Nisith Chandra, Principal Consultant, In-charge, Air Ambulance unit, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC), who had arranged the air ambulance, there has been improvement in Solomon’s condition. “Presently, he is undergoing treatment at the Okhla Road, Delhi based EHIRC. “He is out of danger now,” he told Garhwal Post.

“After his arrival, the doctors performed angiogram and angioplasty tests at the Hospital, which are not available in the city,” he added.

The 8-seater EHIRC air ambulance, which was launched in 1994, is fully equipped with a trained team, comprising a cardiologist, an anesthetist, a nurse, a cardiac surgeon and all the essential life saving equipments. EHIRC air ambulance fleet consists of 2 B200, 1 C90 planes and a couple of Pilatus and Eurocopters models. Though exorbitant ferrying costs are not affordable to common people, the air ambulance facility is a boon for head, neck, heart and kidney victims. Incidentally, EHIRC charges Rs 70,000 per flight hour.