Hospital introduces special air evacuation services

JAKARTA (JP): A medical team at MH Thamrin International Hospital in Salemba, Central Jakarta, conducted an air evacuation drill from the rooftop of the hospital building on Tuesday.

In cooperation with PT National Utility Helicopters (NUH), state-owned PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) airplane manufacturer and the National Police, the hospital staged the drill named Helicopter Emergency Medical Evacuation Service (HEMES) by using the hospital's helicopter pad and a helicopter ambulance.

"The aim is to develop and extend public services in providing faster, more effective and efficient medical emergency evacuations," said the head of the hospital's foundation, Dr. Abdul Radjak.

Abdul said the drill was not easy to perform and cost a lot of money.

"With a minimum of two hours, it cost about US$1,500," he said.

The drill began with an off shore location advising the hospital's "alarm center" that a patient needed to be evacuated. The medical team then rushed to the location by helicopter ambulance and airlifted the patient to the hospital.

The progress of the evacuation was recorded and transmitted through telemedicine/teleconference video, by which the patient's condition was monitored by the alarm center.

At the hospital, the team took the patient to the emergency room.

Evacuations to Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport or Halim Perdanakusuma Airport by fixed wing airplane are also available, after which patients are transferred by helicopter to MH Thamrin Hospital.

The MH Thamrin International Hospital is an international standard private hospital located at Jl. Salemba Tengah No. 26- 28.

The 200-bed hospital is run by professional and experienced human resources backed up by high technology medical equipment. (09)