The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) or flying doctor service originally only covered the Hebrides and West coast of Scotland, but has now extended to the entire Highlands.
The service which is similar in many respects to the Air Ambulance services seen in various cities, launched a few years ago from Glasgow to cover the entire west coast especially for the more remote islands where emergency care for more serious illnesses is more limited.
It has been such a success that the service will now cover the entire Highlands rural areas, offering both locals and tourists the reassurance that despite the remoteness of the area critical medical care is not far away.
Due to the vast size of the area covered, the service not only uses it’s own two helicopters but also RAF Sea King rescue helicopters and even planes to ferry patients mostly to Glasgow.
