The Anguilla Government has instituted a medical air ambulance service for all Civil Servants and Pensioners and the first beneficiary has been school teacher. That person was recently flown to St. Kitts for treatment at an overall cost of US$15,000.

The Government entered an agreement with Medical Air Services Association (MASA) to provide the air ambulance transport, which was first announced by Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, at a recent press conference.

L-R: William Anderson, Frank Halley, Aaron Mitchell and Donald Curtis (MASA's Officials at Opening of Office in Anguilla)

The service went into operation on August 20. Family members can also have access to the service by paying EC$27 or US$10 a month to MASA, the amount the Government is paying for its employees and pensioners.

“I think it shows the deep commitment of the current administration in caring for the welfare of their workers and pensioners,” said Aaron Mitchell, MASA’s Eastern Caribbean Manager. “The fact that they are doing this during these times of economic uncertainty bears that out. There is no question that the Government is really stepping up to the plate to take care of its people.”

Mr. Mitchell went on: “You never know when an accident or illness will strike. In fact, just days after opening our new office in the Hansa Bank Building a Government employee had an emergency that required an air ambulance evacuation and we were pleased to be of service. We are also extremely excited about establishing our Partner Enhancement Programme (PEP) here on Anguilla. MASA has partnered with local businesses to ensure that MASA members save money just by showing their card at the checkout. Already our members are saving 10% on groceries and hardware items by shopping at Lake’s Do It Best in The Valley.” Members in other islands, including St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Antigua, will get similar benefits by presenting their card at PEP retailers there.

“MASA offers its members much more than just air ambulance services,” he further said. “There are 14 additional benefits including ground ambulance coverage, organ transplant transportation, escort transport and world-wide coverage and, of course, MASA will always bring you back. All this with no co-pays, no deductibles and the member never sees a bill.”

MASA opened its new offices in Anguilla on Friday, October 2 and is represented in Anguilla by Caribbean Insurance Brokers (CIB), a locally-registered company managed by Donald Curtis. They both share office space at the ground floor of the Hansa Bank Building.

“MASA is not an insurance company,” Mr. Curtis told reporters. “It is an Air Ambulance Service Company and that’s all they do. However, they do it very well and they provide that service to a large number of people. They are the largest Air Ambulance Company in the world. They have over 800,000 members currently. Of that they have 100,000 members in the Caribbean. They did over 600 life-saving medical evacuations in the region last year.”

The service is provided using FAA-certified planes with a pilot and co-pilot, a certified doctor and nurse and an EMT, depending on the equipment needed and the condition of the patient. The flights originate either from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas or Miami, where the planes are based and/or may be available. Patients needing air ambulance service are required to be at a hospital environment where a doctor has to confirm that the person is in a stable condition and what equipment is needed.

Mr. Curtis explained that the doctor was also required to sign off ‘a medical waiver’ to allow patients to be transported where they needed to go directly to a hospital without any immigration hassles. He said MASA had been in existence for 35 years and in the Caribbean since in 1990. It started in St Thomas and Antigua, and St. Thomas is one of the biggest markets for the company. Tortola also has a big rate of service with some 60% of the population covered by the company.

Mr. Curtis said his company has been visiting various Government departments explaining the service to employees and issuing cards to them.

“MASA is committed to establishing a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with both the Government and people of Anguilla,” he added in a press release. “Our office is open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday and we welcome the opportunity to talk to anybody that may be interested in ensuring their peace of mind.”

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