After years of waiting, postponements and planning, there is now a concrete fact: work has officially begun on the construction of the new helicopter rescue platform at the “SS. Annunziata” hospital in Cosenza. This is not a simple reactivation, but the launch of a completely new infrastructure, designed to meet the most advanced standards of emergency and civil aviation.
A turning point that has been awaited for about thirty years
For a long time the Annunziata platform remained an unresolved critical issue, never fully adapted to modern operational standards and in fact unused in a structural way. With the opening of the construction site, a new phase begins: one in which the air ambulance becomes an integral and immediate part of the hospital system. The start of the works is part of the broader process of reorganization of Calabrian healthcare wanted by the President of the Region, Roberto Occhiuto, who has placed among his priorities the strengthening of the emergency-urgency network and the overcoming of historical infrastructural deficiencies. The creation of the Cosenza platform represents one of the most significant interventions in this direction: an investment that aims to make the healthcare system faster, more efficient and closer to citizens.
De Salazar: “Reducing times means saving lives”
«The direct landing of the air ambulance within the hospital allows us to drastically reduce intervention times», highlights the Commissioner of the ASP of Cosenza, Vitaliano De Salazar. “In time-dependent cases, every minute can make the difference between life and death.” The reference is to the management of heart attacks, strokes and major traumas, where the speed of management is crucial. A vision that puts the management of the “golden hour” at the centre, transforming an infrastructure into a full-fledged clinical tool.
Operation even at night and international standards
The project includes a helipad capable of operating both day and night, with Class 1 classification, the highest level of safety for medical transport. The platform will be equipped with: landing guidance systems (APAPI); aeronautical beacon; advanced lighting with dozens of light points; signals and devices compliant with ICAO standards. An infrastructure that will bring the Annunziata hospital into a technological and operational dimension that was previously absent.
A flight corridor over the city
The planning tables also define a dedicated flight corridor, with precise directions, designed to safely cross the urban area and reduce arrival times at the hospital. An element that further strengthens the effectiveness of the emergency system.