Government departments in Guangdong province are drafting detailed regulations for the use of helicopters to rescue patients in critical condition.

Emergency officials expect air rescue to become a normal operation in the coming months, the Guangzhou-based New Express News reported on Thursday.

Regulations for the use of helicopters are being drafted after the Guangdong provincial people's hospital sent a helicopter to transport a five-month-old girl who suffered from congenital heart disease in Shantou, in the eastern part of Guangdong, to the provincial capital for emergency treatment at the end of March.

It takes about six hours for an ambulance to complete the journey from Shantou to Guangzhou. It took less than two hours by helicopter.

The baby arrived in time for the operation and was discharged from hospital on Tuesday.

Subsequently, the hospital was asked whether it sent the helicopter because the baby came from a rich family. Officials explained that the baby actually came from a poor family, and that they only sent the helicopter because the patient was in critical condition.

"The patient did not even have to pay for using the helicopter service," said Zhuang Jian, president of the hospital.

The normal charge for helicopter service is about 10,000 yuan ($1,580) an hour for commercial purposes in Guangdong.

Liao Xinbo, deputy director-general of the Guangdong department of health, said that in the future, the cost of helicopter service might be shared by three parties — the patient, the hospital, and the government.

Meng Hao，a member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said the charge might differ according to different users.

"The rich should be required to pay more, while the poor pay less, or even get the service for free," Meng suggested.

Currently, the province has three helicopters that are used for medical purposes. An emergency team was set up last year.

The helicopters, including two from Europe, are on call at the headquarters of the Guangdong provincial department of public security. All the pilots are police officers.

Major hospitals in Guangzhou have built helicopter pads in order to receive emergency cases.

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