AMREF's Flying Doctor Emergency Service
The Flying Doctor Service provides air evacuation service in medical emergencies as well as air ambulance transfers between medical facilities.
Patients are repatriated worldwide, to countries including South Africa, Europe, Asia and North America by private jet air ambulance or accompanied by a medical escort, by commercial carriers to any destination.
AMREF Flying Doctors was established 50 years ago by three surgeons - Sir Michael Wood, Archibald McIndoe & Thomas Rees in 1957. Since then, the Flying Doctors have been involved in many health care projects in East Africa, one of them being the Air Ambulance Services.
The service covers the countries of East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) and, when clearance can be obtained, most neighbouring countries – Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and others. In addition, subject to flight clearances, the Flying Doctors will carry out evacuations from anywhere on the African continent.
Buy a Flying Doctor Membership
- Whether you’re a tourist, business traveller or a resident of East Africa, joining the Flying Doctors is a simple and affordable choice that can help towards saving the lives of others - and may one day save your own.
- Learn about our membership benefits
- Become a member
- View our rates
AMREF Flying Doctor Service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. As a vital link between remote areas and AMREF’s control centre at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi, AMREF has established a radio network that comprises of over 100 HF radio stations spread across East Africa, making it the largest two-way radio network in Africa.
Full time medical staff and aircrew are on standby to respond to emergencies. Patients will be accompanied by an emergency physician and/or accompanied by a critical care nurse, depending on clinical need. Physicians are experienced in emergency medicine and intensive care and all of our flight nurses have worked for several years in intensive care medicine, are certified in advanced life support and have longstanding aero-medical experience.
AMREF owns and operates its own fleet of aircraft, which can be converted into airborne intensive care units, using modern medical equipment. In addition, AMREF Flying Doctors have forged an exclusive partnership with Phoenix Aviation, owners of a Beechcraft King Air aircraft and a Cessna Citation Bravo jet aircraft. These are fitted with a lifeport stretcher system, the Bravo having a unique tandem system capable of carrying two patients at a time.
AMREF Flying Doctors has carried out many international repatriations to destinations in Austria, Belgium, Eire, France, Germany, Israel, India, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and many other locations.
Projects & Stories
Stories from the Field: Emergency Flight from Kisumu
"Our days were beginning in the dark, and ending in the dark, with thousands of miles of air in between. We landed and a ramshackle van ambulance and two drivers met us. We had been called to evacuate a seizing, critically ill woman from the regional hospital." Read Dr. Marc-Andre Roy's story.