The word, Korea, brings to mind the latest development between the two nations – one a proponent of democracy and the other a dictatorship. What most people do not know is that Korea, as a whole, had a huge part to play in the evolution of medical air services. It all began during the Korean conflict in the 50’s of the last century. Making way in the conflict-ridden zone was no joke, owing to the bad reach and wartime danger. What came handy was a modified chopper that could carry patients to the nearest medical base, just in time to save life or at least salvage a limb.
The Idea of Medical Air Services Took Off
The success of the modified aircraft to serve as an air ambulance was a great success. This inspired the military to dedicate choppers for this very purpose. It is believed that over 20 thousand soldiers were rescued using military medical air services. However, owing to the technology and limited logistics of the time, the concept did not make its way to civilian lives for quite some time. Medical air services got further military acceptance when over 80 thousand soldiers benefited from them during the Vietnam War. All the wars from the time of the Second World War had seen medical air services evolve.
The Foothold into Civilian Lives
The mid 1960’s saw a path-changing societal research paper titled, “Accidental Death and Disability.” It questioned the fundamental logic behind limiting medical air services for military use. It brought to light how air ambulances can be of immense help to save civilian lives during medical emergencies ranging from motor vehicle accidents to cardiac arrests. By this time, aviation logistics had also evolved greatly. The result: first medical air service saw the day of light in the United States in 1972. By the turn of the century, over 203 thousand people were benefiting from medical air services.
