Kenya first national air ambulance service has been launched to evacuate security forces wounded in battle.
President Uhuru Kenyatta who launched the initiative, said the service will ensure injured security personnel received swift medical treatment.
A BBC reporter said the initiative is likely to boost the morale of security personnel who are facing multiple threats
Soldiers and policemen have bled to death or have died of dehydration in remote areas of Kenya because of long delays in getting them to the hospital.
The BBC’s Wanyama Chebusiri in the capital, Nairobi, said the government has reached an agreement with the Red Cross and private firm AMREF Flying Doctors to dispatch helicopters and vehicles as soon as distress calls are received.
The new evacuation service will also be offered to civil servants, especially those who work in the security field in rural areas with few medical facilities.
Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has stepped up attacks in Kenya in recent years.
Millitants killed 64 people in two attacks in the north-eastern region of Mandera, which borders Somalia in December.
Speaking at the launch President Kenyatta said: “This is a crucial service, especially for our security officers, who put themselves on the front line against our enemies, to ensure that Kenyans are safe wherever they are.”
By:citifmonline.com/Ghana
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