Health Secretary Shona Robison has backed calls to base an “extremely valuable” new air ambulance in the north-east.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has one life-saving helicopter at Scone, but is raising £6million to launch another and people across the north and north-east are pressing for it to be located in Aberdeen.
Politicians across the party divide have argued that the city would be the best place for it, and the Press and Journal has championed the drive.
Yesterday, Ms Robison boosted the campaign yesterday when she stated her backing for it during questions at Holyrood.
Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett raised the matter by praising Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, for lodging a motion in parliament rallying support for the second charity air ambulance to be homed in Aberdeen.
Mr Burnett said: “So will the minister also support The Press and Journal’s campaign, which is looking to assist the charity to achieve its aims in order to benefit the whole of the north of Scotland?”
Mrs Robison responded by praising the “fantastic work” the Perthshire-based charity already does in “helping to save and improve lives every day”.
She added: “A second helicopter will allow SCAA to further support the Scottish Ambulance Service in saving even more lives, and this will be particular helpful in the more remote and rural areas of Scotland.
“And it will also be extremely valuable in support of the Scottish Trauma Network vision, and our plans to take care to the patients, so the answer is ‘yes’.”
Mr Burnett afterwards said: “I am pleased to get the health minister’s support for a fantastic campaign.
“In only a short time, SCAA has gained a tremendous reputation for reaching emergencies which are hard to reach by conventional means.
“The benefit of this service being expanded to rural Aberdeenshire and the north of Scotland is incalculable.”
A major trauma centre will open in Aberdeen later this year, as part of the network Ms Robison referred to.
The facility will help people who have been seriously injured in accidents such as road collisions and falls.
Discussions are taking place between SCAA, the NHS and the Scottish Ambulance Service on where to locate the new machine should the fundraising campaign prove successful.
