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Category: Medical Evacuation

Air Rescue from Kullu (Hill Station in India)

2 foreigners (very young girls) broke their leg, nose, spine in a bus accident in hilly village of India; in the afternoon. Local authorities had taken them to the Government hospital in the hill town. Some primary diagnosis and medication. The further treatment was kept pending to the next day. By the night, youngsters were Distressed due to language, anxiety, food, lack of medical facilities and emotions.
Past midnight, ISAPL was tasked by their home company to handle immediately shift them to a better medical facility and provide for Medical care, food and language. The anxiety levels of employer, Embassy and family very high. Our Medic-logistic team swung inti action. The town’s 2 ambulances were Overburdened in shifting another 15+ injured to a town hospital 3 hours drive 1-way. Real ambulance and professional care is a far cry. We arranged makeshift ‘ambulance’ to Road Transfer the young girls to a speciality secondary care private hospital to a bigger town.  Some  mattresses and restrain belts in the transfer vans. Shifted from Govt to private hospital for secondary care. Our medic teams’ preference was to conduct surgery in a city hospital.
3 days of stabilising and pain management. Reviews by home-country doctors. Emotional care.

Meantime ISAPL worked on their Air transfer from Hilly town to Suprspeciality Delhi. Special pilot, special machines are needed for this hilly Airport. Lots of algorithm and consideration for Medical risks. We chose over the fixed wing AA to a chopper. Fixtures and fittings, Cushions and mattresses and restrains-belts.

Integrating best of Medical and logistic support. We could shift them to Delhi and then to their home country. Our toil of 6 days-nights was far less than what they had been going thru. It was actually tough on them.

We simply bring some smile to those in severe distress !

Air Ambulance

Air Evacuation and other options

A person in distress is an emotional event. The Medical Emergency is of exigency. There are many facets to the support required. The relatives expect emotional support. The person needs timely medical attention. While the concerns of the family and friends are important, the professional prefer to focus on the patient. Air Ambulance is an option.

The Medical Evacuation needs to be arranged with the lightening speed. At times, the access to patient is difficult due to terrain, weather or geopolitical constraints. And thus speed and swiftness has increased significance. The patient condition warrants split-second Medical movements. Over the years, the Road ambulance and road accessibility has improved significantly. Nowadays, evacuation thru Road is far more convenient and safe. Although, it takes longer, but the time is utilized by the medical escort team perform small tests and also provide temporary medication to the distressed. So now the Road Ambulance is a turning into a steady, economical and dependable method.

Advent of Air Ambulance in Eastern world

Like their western counterparts the Air Evacuation is picking fast in Asian countries.

The key benefits of Air evacuation is speedy access to tricky terrains. The medical institutions and para-med have also evolved in their evacuation attentiveness. The Medical Emergency kit is more practical and concise. The Air Ambulance carries the usual medical equipment like ECG and monitors, ventilators, medication and stretchers. So now, patients can receive preliminary treatment while they are being sent away to the appropriate medical facility.
Many governments have their standards for Medical Evacuation for both Road and Air Ambulance that applies to various stakeholders, processes, equipment and devices.

Air Ambulance Selection

The concern is that Air ambulance operations require special experience in safety and the capability of the pilot in flying emergency flights. Few countries have exceptional Medical Evacuation system, operated by the Federal. But, most have a set of private service providers. Over the last decade, a lot of professional Air-Ambulance services have appeared on the arena. Many a times, the business air charters are ‘rented’ for Medical Evacuation. For Air Ambulance, although the commercial Charter Aircraft are available, but equipping those with Life support facilities and crew credibility is a job in itself. The air ambulance selection should be based upon the terrain and timing. In exigencies and protected areas it is regulatory requirement for to Air Ambulance to be licensed. The Choppers Air Ambulance are real swift and have deeper reach, with the limitations on the air pressure, ambient noise, space, and physical stability. The selection of crew on Air Ambulance needs to be based upon the experience, insurance, authorization, dependability and language expertise. Only experienced medical team can handle traumatized patient during medical evacuation. During medical evacuation, the medical staff selection on Air Ambulance is specific to the patient condition, prognosis, medical policy, Doctor’s advice, Patient history and family preferences.

A good Medical Evacuation service provider must have experts who have handled geographically and medically versatile cases. A seamless arrangement with the state and medical facilities is critical.

The terminal point of medical evacuation is decided by the medical team to ensure relevant specialty of the medical facilities…

Conclusion

It is conclusive that the preferred mode of Medical evacuation is Air Ambulance, but only experienced hands can decide the most favorable mode and timing of an evacuation.

Our Director Poonam Jain has even helped the crash victims of the Air Ambulance crash in 2011. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/video/air-ambulance-crash-in-faridabad/1/139358.html

Adventure for young – Concern for family !

Here is what we are good at. Bringing smile on the faces 🙂
 

These 2 (Foreign nationals) Love birds are smiling now.

But the preceding 38 hours have been of highly anxious moments. A phone call in the evening from overseas. And the last location known. No contact for the last 3 days. No mobile connect.

Family, Insurance company and Embassy are worried and clueless.

And ISAPL Director-Operations Ms. Poonam gets into action. Structured approach, strategic steps, Team activation.

Geographical and digital search. Teaming with Police, right upto SP’s office. Checkpoints, Hospital searches, Clubs hunting, Airports, Bike renting agencies, shops, restaurants, Foreigner’s Office, Immigration, borders, CCTV, …….

Well coordinated mission; and Love Birds are brought out of their hidden nest.
The end is: Smile 🙂

Thanks to the wonderful support from the Maharashtra Police force.

Yes. Humane to those in Distress !!

Air Ambulance tearing the Darkness

Saving Life is more important than anything else.“- Ms. Poonam (Director-Operations)

It was a distress call to help Air transfer a Heart patient who immediately (Golden hour) needs surgery Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

What is so challenging: Patient heart condition, Inter-country Covid regulations, UK Lockdown has disrupted Dhaka Airport operations. Flight slot, Permissions and Operations are in for a hard time. Any further anxiety (due to Air-transfer delays) can worsen his Vitals.

ISAPL approach:  Sub-team formation by Ms. Poonam.

Team A works on Flight readiness with equipment & Medics, client management and commercials. Team B works on Medical assistance logistics from Bed-Airport-Ambulance-Airport-Bed. Team C works on Inter country permissions, visas, Covid clearances, Airport permissions.

Airport operations at Dhaka were overwhelmed with changed dynamics of global aviation due UK. A request to fly is pending since morning. Winter Darkness setting in sooner and Patient’s vitals…..
When the standard approach for permissions didn’t yield for many hours; Ms. Poonam could trace and reach senior officials of Dhaka Civil Aviation authorities. Permissions to land in at night were hard to come by. Her Empathy and request to Dhaka Authorities to support a life-saving mission worked. Immediately, all the 3 teams converged to simultaneously roll both Road and Air ambulances. The integrated approach of dovetailing logistics saved critical minutes. Medic team ran a night mission saving each critical minute.

Patient is safely and delightfully Air ambulance transferred from Dhaka to Delhi Bed-to-Bed. The family is thankful of Miracle tearing the Darkness of night and pain.

Humane to Those in Distress !!

just when Taliban rattled the Af.

It is very recent; during US pullout from Af and turmoil thereof. Three Indians and Nepalese suffering Covid infected Lungs disorder. Both their employer and hospital wanted them to be evacuated out of Af. Reasons were many: including endangered life, deteriorating medical condition and depleting resources. Taliban was making sudden moves and whole of Af was in uncertainty and fear. Airport, Immigration, Security…. tartar Challenges were equally strong; including negligible commercial Flights, safety/security/ permissions and costs. Embassies of both India, Nepal at Af and of Af at India were least-functional; stalling the permissions, visa and clearances. The Plan A to move all 3 of them together by a chartered Air Ambulance was dropped due to safety concerns in Af airspace. The Asian and European aviation companies had refused to fly into either Kabul or Bagram, Mazar-e-Sharif. Even the Af Medical team refused to road-transfer patient to Bagram etc. Our Director-Operations Ms. Poonam had designs of Plan B. She swiftly started working on Commercial transfer. She prepared 2 simultaneously Medical teams and commercial Airlines (Air India and Kam Air) at India and Af to activate either medical escort teams. Oxygen, BPAP, ECMO equipped. She frivolously moved few Govt Ministers & airlines. It was a life-saving mission. Commercial airlines medical clearances were arranged. Meantime a patient’s condition deteriorated. The impending life threats and medical condition warranted urgency. Ms. Poonam agreed to a split-plan. 1st patient was immediately transferred by Commercial airlines to India. Subsequently stabilized overnight at Delhi, before Air Ambulance transfer and treatment at Nepal. 2nd (deteriorating) patient was immediately moved to the Middle East. 3rd was moved few days later by commercial airlines to Delhi for treatment. Thankfully, all 3 are safe home and doing good; away from Af. Yes, escaping the inevitable threat and chaos thereon. We were saving 3 human lives; just in time.