Bermuda’s air ambulance has asked Bermuda Hospitals Board to put right comments it says imply it’s unsafe or incompetent.Bermuda Air Medivac has called in Phoenix Law Chambers in response to BHB’s assertion it needs international certification to become the carrier of choice for all patients needing overseas treatment.BHB had stated: “International certification ensures not only that the plane itself is maintained to standard, but that the medical equipment onboard is working to standard, that medications are stored appropriately and kept updated, and that personnel have required qualifications and training that are kept current through continuing medical education.”Lawyer Phil Perinchief responded in a letter to BHB chief of staff Donald Thomas, copied to The Royal Gazette: “The entire tenor of your quoted comments carries the very strong and obvious inference that certification is the only way you can be assured of any air ambulance’s competence ... and the only way to assure that BAM personnel, in particular, have the required qualifications, up-to-date skills and commitment to patient safety and care.“For the record, BAM was independently assessed on the basis of international standards and it was determined that BAM met them.”Mr Perinchief, a former Health Minister and Attorney General, added that BAM’s personnel also work at King Edward VII Memorial so must meet the hospital’s standards.BAM has been calling for Government to make it the carrier of choice amid claims America-based planes are being used while it sits idle in a St David’s hangar.Colonial and BF&M are said to prefer US-based planes as they are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services; but BAM argues it could only get approval by that group if it was able to rescue patients from mountains and deserts, which it never needs to do.BHB had stated it cannot put its patients in the hands of an unaccredited air ambulance “unless the critical nature of their illness means this is the only option”.Mr Perinchief said he found that position disturbing, explaining: “If BHB has doubts about the competence of any air carrier, the prudent position would be to insist that the carrier not be used at all, rather than only for critically ill patients.”He said BAM has made more than 500 flights in its six years of existence, adding: “Given the skills and experience of my client’s personnel, BAM has a spotless record for air plane safety and patient care in its operations.“We request that BHB take whatever steps are necessary to correct the misinterpretation that any reasonable person might make that BAM is not competent or safe, based on BHB’s quoted comments in The Royal Gazette.”BHB said it would be inappropriate to make any further comment until the legal matter has been reviewed.Useful websites: www.bermudahospitals.bm