The European Defence Agency has awarded contracts to three companies to provide medical evacuation services.
The EDA has chosen three medical evacuation companies, who will be in contract until January 2023, in a deal that could be worth up to €120 million. They will provide evacuation and immediate treatment for patients as well as transferring them to other facilities.
The companies awarded through a Project Arrangement (PA) are Global Helicopter Service, Elitaliana, and Starlite Aviation Operations. They will cover defence and security operations, both national and international, in Europe and Africa.
The contracts were negotiated with the defence secretaries of Austria, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and currently, are the only states with the option of accessing the service. However, the service will be open to all EDA member states, EU partners, and third states who share administrative arrangements with the EDA.
The EDA has said that pre-arranged contracts will allow for a smoother and more cost-effective management of medical evacuation. The project, titled AIRMEDVAC, has been mandated and will be organised by contributing EDA members.
The EDA has said that evacuation often presents a big problem in multinational operations and on the spot contracting is not an effective method of tackling the issue. They describe outsourcing to private companies as a necessity that allows member states to order ready-to-use aeromedical evacuation services when they are required.
A group of member states, the EDA, and EU Military Staff began discussions on ARMEDEVAC in 2016. The new outlines mean that the contractors will work on a pay-per-use basis that will not require binding financial constraints and reduce administrative work.
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aeromedical Aeromedical Evacuation Austria Belgium Combat Rescue Helicopter EDA EU European Defence Agency Germany helicopter MedEvac Netherlands
Post written by: Ciara Houghton
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