27 April 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Rega. Much has happened since then. From parachutists and light aircraft that landed on glaciers right through to state-of-the-art rescue helicopters and ambulance jets. From responsibly-minded but simple emergency interventions to highly complex intensive care medical transports that set standards worldwide.

For all this progress, Rega has at its core remained the same: we place the well-being of our patients at the centre of everything we do and bring medical assistance by air to people in distress. And Rega is in great demand: last year, our Operations Centre organised over 18,000 missions – more than ever before. In addition, Rega continued to perform diverse tasks to support the authorities in dealing with the pandemic – such as acting as a national coordination centre to ensure optimal capacity utilisation of Switzerland’s intensive care units. We are constantly working on developing better solutions to rescue even more people in an emergency: the nightvision goggles, which were specially designed for Rega, and the Rega drone are already in use, and our air rescue operations have been further strengthened by stationing a rescue helicopter in Sion.

In short: last year, Rega once again fulfilled its core task and it is impossible to imagine the Swiss healthcare system without it. First and foremost, therefore, we feel gratitude. Gratitude towards our more than 3.6 million patrons. Every single contribution is important for us to be able to make something meaningful even better – for the benefit and well-being of our patients.