Starting Wednesday the Lahak Company will no longer provide medivac helicopter transport from the scene of accidents in northern Israel due to heavy debt, the company said in a statement. The Ministry of Health and insurance companies have not made payments for hundreds of emergency medivac flights carried out last year, said company officials.

Medical officials reacted by saying that critical care patients and accident victims will pay the price due to significant delays in reaching hospital emergency rooms. Extended transport times due to the service stoppage could lead to two fatalities, said a company offical. Accident prevention organization Ohr Yarok's director Shmuel Abuav made an urgent appeal to Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to find an immediate solution.