The 3rd President's Press Conference AY 2020 was held on Friday, February 5, 2021. First, President Hisataka Moriwaki spoke about Gifu Prefecture's helicopter ambulance services ("Doctor Heli") for regional medicine, in association with "TOKAI-PRACTISS (TOKAI Project to Renovate Area Chubu into Tech Innovation Smart Society)." After his speech, Professor Shinji Ogura, Director of Gifu University Advanced Critical Core Center made a comment on the history and mission of the helicopter. This was followed by the speech of Dr. Noriaki Yamada, (also from the center, division head of "Doctor Heli" and "Doctor Vehicles") who gave an overview, record of services and future prospects of "Doctor Heli."

Gifu Prefecture is characterized by its unique geographical features of hilly and mountainous terrains, and one of the most important missions in medical community is to make the best of limited medical resources to save people's lives in regions. Ten years have already passed since the start of helicopter services on February 9, 2011. In 2017, Doctor Heli Division was set up within Gifu University Advanced Critical Core Center in order to define and coordinate the respective roles of individual organizations, and widely publicize the services. As of December 2020, the number of the helicopter dispatching reached 4,252 from February 2011.

In Gifu, medical situations greatly differ depending on five locations (Gifu, Chuno, Seino, Tono and Hida regions), and diverse medical and regional needs ought to be met through emergency services. Besides responding to regional emergency needs, the helicopter was often dispatched to rescue people stranded in mountains, injured in farm fields and entertainment districts in the past.

A number of problems emerged soon after the service launching primarily because the helicopter needs to cover vast plots of land in the prefecture. However, after a refueling station was built in the north, its sphere of coverage significantly expanded. Furthermore, in transferring a patient from one hospital to another, a fire station helicopter now fills the role of Doctor Heli by having hospital staff aboard.

We have successfully built an aeromedical service infrastructure in Gifu through tie-ups with relevant facilities and through collaboration of all concerned. Our mission for the next ten years is: "Right patient to the right hospital in the right time," one of the central tenets of our emergency medical services.

We will continue to enhance service qualities of Doctor Heli to provide better treatments for everyone, and strive to become Japan's best aeromedical hub in the future.