Bengaluru, DHNS: An air ambulance which landed with Sandeep, a 25-year-old patient, in Bengaluru on Saturday.

A 25-year-old engineer with respiratory problems was the first to use a recently launched air ambulance service to rush to a hospital here.

Sandeep was brought in a helicopter from Toranagallu in Ballari district to Narayana Health City in Electronics City, Bengaluru, on Saturday.

By road, Toranagallu is 325 km from Bengaluru. The heli-ambulance covered the distance in just an hour and 10 minutes.

Based in Belagavi, Sandeep was visiting Ballari for a plant inspection when he was exposed to toxic chemicals. He was clicking pictures when he accidently fell into a pit with chemicals and gases, a hospital official said.

He developed severe respiratory problems and was shifted to Jindal Sanjeevini Hospital in Ballari. The hospital is run by Narayana Health. Since he needed advanced emergency treatment, the hospital called for an air ambulance.

Medical staff sedated and brought him to Bengaluru in the fully equipped air ambulance.

Aviators Air Rescue is a private ambulance service launched in December 2016. Capt Arun Sharma, managing director of Aviators India Pvt Ltd, said the helicopter ferrying Sandeep landed at a site next to Narayana Health City.

“This is the first medical case. The patient was stabilised in the heli-ambulance,” he said.

It cost Sandeep Rs 3.5 lakh to get to Bengaluru in the ambulance. Had he taken a subscription, it would have cost him not more than Rs 18,000, Sharma said.

“We charge Rs 1.75 lakhs an hour, and take into account a round trip for any patient,” he explained. An individual subscription costs Rs 9,000 a year while a family subscription comes for Rs 18,000.

A patient can use the service any number of times with a subscription, he said.