Quebec’s aeromedical evacuation service has helped save over 100 lives since it began sending helicopters last summer, according to new government data.
Quebec is the last Canadian province to establish a public medical helicopter transport system, which allows those living in rural areas to access emergency care.
“I think this is an essential service that truly fills a need in Quebec. We’re six to seven times the size of France, and we only have ambulances and airplanes. It’s high time we had a third option for patients in rural areas,” says Dr. James Tu, deputy director of the aeromedical evacuation service.
As of Nov. 6, 114 missions had been carried out, including 12 from the Mirabel Airport base, where aeromedical services launched on Oct. 19. Service from the base located at the Jean-Lesage International Airport in Quebec City began in mid-June.
For now, emergency helicopter transportation is available to patients located between 75 and 250 km from major urban centres. This allows staff — including doctors, respiratory therapists and nurses — to remain within the hospital region, says Dr. Tu.
“We’re already seeing benefits,” he says. “We’re able to free up resources.”
For each mission, there is a doctor, a nurse specializing in critical care, and two pilots on board the helicopter, with the option to have two additional crew members.
“Most of our doctors are emergency medicine specialists and intensivists who are used to managing unstable cases, thinking on their feet, and reacting immediately,” says Dr. Tu.
The doctor adds that missions so far have gone very smoothly. He said crews saved the lives of many traffic accident victims thanks to the helicopters’ speed, flexibility and equipment.
“Those were really the cases where we saw a real benefit,” he says. “We’d arrive on the scene, pick up the patient, and leave much faster than we would have by road.”
The helicopter is equipped with almost everything that would be found in an emergency room resuscitation room, including a ventilator and equipment needed to administer a transfusion.
“We have infusion pumps, a portable ultrasound machine that allows us to perform diagnostic tests on board, and a machine that lets us draw blood and analyze the patient’s blood while in flight,” explains Dr. Tu.
Dr. Tu’s colleague, nurse Kadia Fall, says staff keep spare bags packed with necessary equipment and medication so they can take off quickly in an emergency.
“It allows us to always be ready to go,” she says. “We grab a new bag and head out again if there are back-to-back missions.”
A dispatch centre at the Quebec City university hospital centre handles calls requesting helicopter transport, but the service is not yet widely known, according to Dr. Tu. Operators at the dispatch centre determine the best mode of transportation for patients.
The aeromedical crew waits at one of the stations until a call comes in, much like firefighters waiting for a call at the fire station. When a call comes in, the helicopter can take off in as little as 15 minutes.
Flight time generally ranges from 30 minutes to two hours. The helicopter can travel nearly 600 km on a single tank of fuel.
The first phase of the aeromedical service will span five years. For now, it involves interhospital transport, meaning the helicopter picks up the patient from a regional hospital and brings them back to the airport, where a ground ambulance will transport the patient to the designated hospital.
In the coming months, the helicopter could begin making trips to health clinics, particularly to serve remote Indigenous communities. Eventually, it could land directly at the scene of a car accident, for example.
A handful of Quebec hospitals have operational helipads, and several more are under construction, including at the Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus in Quebec City, which could open next year.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2026.
By Katrine Desautels | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.