An extra medivac plane based on the Island would help decrease the waiting times for critically and seriously injured patients, according to one of the emergency service's clients.

In 2005 Bermuda Air Medivac Limited, whose vice president is Eloise Bell, was able to acquire an 11-seater jet because of the generous donation by David Barber.

A well-known philanthropist, Mr. Barber donated $2 million in memory of his wife Mary, so that Bermuda could finally have its own emergency aircraft.

Before 2005, anyone who needed to be airlifted abroad for treatment had to wait for planes from the East Coast to fly to the Island, which could take anywhere between six and 24 hours.

That was until the son of Ms Bell's friend had to wait 24 hours to leave the Island from ICU and Ms Bell decided the service needed to be provided in Bermuda.

Now, only three years later, Ms Bell says their company is being overwhelmed by the demand and need a second plane to keep up.

Last night a spokesperson for the Bermuda Hospitals Board said they would support her company getting a second plane as it would help reduce times for their patients.

The spokesperson said: "Bermuda Hospitals Board has good relationships with both local and overseas medivac plane providers, both of whom provide an invaluable service to patients in Bermuda needing transport to a tertiary care centre from the hospital.

"If an additional plane was available locally it would be used to prevent a possible extended wait for patients."

The problem is Ms Bell has not received any support from the community and her company cannot afford to buy a plane themselves.

Bermuda Medivac has already completed 220 trips in the time they have been running, but plane maintenance means they must be out of commission for parts of the year.

With more than 50 percent of the patients who need to be airlifted out of Bermuda having to wait between eight and 24 hours to receive treatment, Ms Bell has called on exempt companies and the community to step-up.

She said: "I have seen people wait 24 hours, but at least 50 percent of the people have to wait more than eight hours for another air ambulance.

"That's totally terrible. We cannot afford to buy another plane, but if one of the exempt companies could get a plane we would use it when ours is down. "Nobody has come forward."