Province Launches Pilot Program to Increase Schedevac Flights in Coastal Labrador

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has launched a pilot program aimed at improving access to medical transportation services in coastal Labrador by increasing the number of scheduled medical evacuation, or Schedevac, flights.

According to the province, the pilot program was developed in response to concerns raised by residents about delays and cancellations affecting access to reliable Schedevac services.

Additional flights began operating on June 20 and are providing increased service capacity on Mondays and Saturdays. The enhanced schedule will remain in place through the end of September.

The flights are operated by Air Borealis under contract with Medavie Health NL as part of the province’s medical transport and paramedicine system.

Officials say the added flights are intended to reduce delays, improve patient flow and provide more timely access to health-care services for residents of coastal Labrador.

NL Health Services will monitor the use of the additional flights and report on their effectiveness as part of ongoing efforts to improve scheduling and service delivery in the region.