I Went to the Abyei Peacekeeping Helicopter Unit to Conduct Medical Rescue Drills with Peacekeeping Allies

Transporting "wounded". Photo by Huang Hao

PLA Daily reports: Huang Hao and Wu Xinwei report: Recently, the 6th batch of Chinese peacekeeping helicopter troops in Abyei conducted a joint emergency medical rescue drill with the Ghanaian secondary hospital peacekeeping forces. The drill comprehensively covered key aspects such as aerial search and positioning, field emergency treatment, and air evacuation of the wounded.

Currently, the Abyei mission area is in the rainy season, and the roads in the wilderness are severely damaged. After personnel are seriously injured, ground transport takes a long time and carries high risks, making air medical transport a critical lifeline. Against this backdrop, the United Nations Security Forces coordinated and organized this joint drill.

The drill was based on a scenario where a patrol unit encountered an accident in a remote wilderness, resulting in multiple soldiers being injured and missing. After the drill began, our unit's helicopter took off urgently to search and accurately locate the position of the "wounded." After the helicopter landed smoothly, the Ghanaian medical personnel on board quickly carried out emergency equipment and began operations, classifying injuries based on the "wounded" condition in the designated rescue area, implementing precise first aid, and simultaneously recording the identity information of the "wounded," properly filling out the United Nations medical transport documents.

After the on-site emergency treatment was completed, personnel from both China and Ghana cooperated to securely fix the "wounded" onto a specialized medical stretcher on board, properly placing monitoring equipment and oxygen supply devices. During the flight, accompanying medical personnel continuously monitored the "wounded" vital signs, dynamically recording changes in their condition, and reported the situation at regular intervals through the command communication system, informing the receiving hospital in advance about the "wounded" condition to ensure the efficient opening of the emergency green channel. After the helicopter arrived at the camp's helipad, the ground-air connection was smooth, quickly transferring the "wounded" to the Ghanaian hospital's operating room, with the entire transport process being efficient and orderly.

Unit commander Zhao Hui introduced that this drill effectively enhanced our air transport capabilities and the ground medical units of the peacekeeping forces in emergency situations. The unit's personnel will continue to use their professional and robust aviation support capabilities to strengthen the efficient and smooth life rescue channel in the mission area, putting into practice the peacekeeping mission.

Source: PLA Daily