(Yicai Global) Oct. 18 -- Shanghai Jinhui General Aviation Co. has put an AW119KX medical aid aircraft into operation in Anhui, the first of its kind in the province. The air ambulance transferred its first patient to a hospital today after a one-way flight lasting 40 minutes, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported on Oct. 17.

The aircraft, similar to a small intensive care unit, or ICU, is equipped with a breathing machine, defibrillation monitor, suction devices, injection pump, oxygen cylinder, spine board and other professional medical equipment.

It is used to conduct simple medical treatment while transporting patients and keeps their vital signs stable, the report added.

The company will also provide an AW139 medical aid helicopter with a maximum takeoff weight of seven tons for a hospital in Anhui, and cooperate with medical institutions in three cities to offer them professional medical choppers by the end of 2018. Once the new helicopters are delivered, the province's air emergency fleet will be able to cover all of Anhui.