IMDH MUG Helicopter West Flanders

IMDH vzw, the Institute for Medical Emergency Assistance, is a Belgian nonprofit in Bruges. It keeps the MUG-Heli emergency helicopter in service and also runs emergency medical training. The MUG-Heli is a hospital based emergency helicopter program for West Flanders.

The MUG-Heli brings emergency medical help to people by helicopter. The helicopter is based at AZ Sint-Jan hospital in Bruges. It flies in daylight, seven days a week.

The helicopter can reach any point in West Flanders, much of East Flanders, and Zeeland in the Netherlands in about 15 minutes. The service reaches about two million people, and saving ten minutes can make the difference. It saves about 40 extra lives each year.

The service costs about 850,000 euros a year. It receives no federal subsidy. It depends on gifts from the public and on sponsors, and the Stichting MUG-Heli foundation also supports the helicopter.

IMDH also provides first aid and resuscitation courses, made to measure for companies, associations, schools, and childcare providers. Course topics include a life saving course for sixth grade pupils, European Paediatric Advanced Life Support, the European Trauma Course that it runs with AZ Sint-Jan Bruges, and AED use.

Employers can recover up to 30 percent of course costs through the KMO portfolio. The organization's training covers both helping patients in the field and teaching the public and professionals how to give first help.

Services

• MUG-Heli emergency helicopter
• First aid courses
• Resuscitation courses
• European Trauma Course
• European Paediatric Advanced Life Support
• AED training
• Courses for schools
• Courses for companies