complaint filed
Rega does not give up the air battle for Valais
The dispute over the Valais mountain rescue service is entering the next round. Rega does not accept the Valais government’s decision and files a complaint. Rega continues to fight for a place alongside the Air Zermatt and Air-Glacier helicopters.
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Air Zermatt and Air-Glaciers continue to take care of air rescue in the canton of Valais.
Air rescue in Valais remains the responsibility of Air Zermatt and Air-Glaciers. The cantonal Valais rescue organization (KWRO) decided in November. Rega has now lodged an appeal against this decision.
Rega explains this step as follows: “Firstly, because the award procedure was designed from the start in such a way that the two Valais providers, Air Zermatt and Air-Glaciers, would be awarded the contract. And on the other hand, because Rega wants to strengthen the sometimes inadequate emergency medical care in the canton of Valais.
Just a heli in manners
Rega had applied to be awarded the air rescue mandate, but was defeated by the two companies that have been rescuing skiers and mountaineers who have had accidents in Valais for decades by air.
Fritz Anthamatten, President of KWRO’s Board of Directors, said in the fall that the two companies provide “satisfactory, efficient and rational coverage of air rescue needs”. One argument in particular spoke against Rega: it only had one helicopter stationed in Sion. In this way, Rega is “only partially” covering the demand.
Rega wants to strengthen the fleet
Rega himself sees it differently and points out that Valais can also be reached from bases close to the canton. “Valais can be reached within 6 to 13 minutes by flight from 6 of the 14 Rega bases”.
Rega suspects that the award procedure was not fair and accuses KWRO of bias. It cannot be that “representatives of Air Zermatt and Air-Glaciers, who are also members of the KWRO Board of Directors, were involved in the needs analysis”.
In addition, the medical order should be in the foreground. Rega writes: “The existing emergency medical deficiencies in the Valais air rescue system” were “completely hidden”. Rega’s goal is to strengthen the deployment, because there would be a need for additional rescue equipment. In Valais, the aid deadlines would be exceeded and very few rescues would be carried out at night “due to a lack of resources and insufficient equipment”.
At the end, Rega emphasizes in the letter: “Rega is not concerned with crowding out other organizations”. (man)