At Medilink International, Safety is one of our key values. This week, that value took the form of training in Gozo, delivered by Gulf Med Aviation Services (GMAS), a company within the group, for five members of the internal security and response team at Gozo General Hospital. 

These professionals are present at the hospital’s helipad whenever the GMAS helicopter lands or takes off to transport patients between Gozo and the main island of Malta. The training prepares them to act in the event of an incident and to provide a first response, if needed. 

Landing and taking off are always demanding phases of flight, which require constant attention to safety. The participants already have basic training, and this initiative strengthens their knowledge of the specifics of the GMAS operation: the location, the type of helicopter used and the way we work. It should be noted that Gozo General Hospital has a new helipad, built recently.  

“Every helipad has its own particularities, just as every aircraft does. The better those on the ground know the helicopter and the specific needs of this type of operation, the safer we all are, aircrew and ground teams alike,” says Markus Kluger, a GMAS pilot. With 22 years of experience as a pilot and around 10 with the company, the German pilot considers that initiatives of this kind are “very important and necessary”. 

The initiative also shows how we work: in close cooperation with the organisations we serve patients alongside. An air ambulance service depends on several teams working in step, inside and outside the helicopter. Markus highlights the “importance of inter-institutional work between GMAS and the hospital, which helps to raise safety standards in operations aimed at saving lives”. 

“The safety of a mission does not depend only on whoever is at the controls. It depends on the relationship between the crew and the teams that receive us on the ground. Training together builds trust,” says the pilot. Pilots, Technical Crew Members, doctors, nurses and ground security staff, among others, take part in the operations carried out in Malta, and each of them has a role to play in safety. 

The same standard of rigour that guides Medilink International in every context where it operates is present at this helipad in Gozo. Recently, another group of 4 professionals from the Hospital had received this type of training. Investing in the preparation of those who work with us, including partner organisations, is one of the ways we live Safety every day. 

About Medilink International 

Medilink International is a global provider of integrated medical services, with more than three decades of history and a presence on three continents. Gulf Med Aviation Services (GMAS), founded in 2016 and part of the group, provides Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) in Portugal and Ireland, and air ambulance services in Malta and Spain.