Doctor helicopters -- air ambulances that rush doctors straight to patients -- have been grounded one after another since the summer, exposing a crisis that officials warn could lead to the collapse of Japan's air medical system.A severe shortage of mechanics at contracted operators is spreading across regions, turning the effort to staff these "flying emergency rooms" into a precarious struggle amid the country's shrinking, aging workforce and declining interest in maintenance careers.This has promoted Tokushima Gov. Masazumi Gotoda, who serves as medical affairs commissioner for the Union…READ FULL ARTICLE
