The crash that killed two people and injured nine others in Amqui, Que., earlier this week highlighted the need for an air ambulance program in the province.

Six of the injured had to be transported to a trauma unit in Quebec City on different emergency medical planes, leaving only one left for another medical evacuation in the province.

The Quebec aeromedical evacuation program (EVAQ) got a call from Bas-Saint-Laurent at 4:30 p.m. Monday saying there was an accident with ten seriously injured people requiring their aid in the next few hours.

"At the time of the call, we have 50 minutes maximum to get around, to get to the airport," said Simon Kind, the medical chief of the Quebec aeromedical evacuation program (EVAQ).

"It's a bit like a flying intensive care unit — that is to say that almost everything we can do in a care unit in a tertiary center, we can do it on our planes," he said.

The hospital plane always has a doctor and a nurse on board, and specialized teams like respiratory therapists or a neonatology team can join if needed.

There are only four planes to cover all of Quebec, and weather can become a major obstacle for evacuations.

Kind said luckily the timing was good and so was the weather Monday.

Demands keep increasing

As resources are limited, Kind's team often has to prioritize.

"Four planes, is that enough? For the moment, yes," he said — if the four planes are available.

"As soon as an aircraft is under maintenance, or there is a mechanical failure on another, it can really complicate operations."

The provincial government has already announced an improvement in emergency medical transport in remote communities, including $140 million for a helicopter service.

Last year, nearly 2,500 patients used the emergency air transport, a figure that increases by about 5 per cent per year according to the EVAQ.