Air Marshal Rajan Chaudhry AVSM VSM President’s Honorary Surgeon, Director General Medical Services (Air), inaugurated the Western Air Command’s SMOs’ Conference 2015 at Subroto Park on 03 July 15. In his address he directed the SMOs to ensure regular and continuous training of all medical personnel and be ready to handle all emergencies, whether in peace or war. He asked SMOs to ensure implementation of the medical services’ digital initiative, the MEDNET, at all Station Medicare Centres (SMCs) so as to achieve our vision of paperless workplace. He informed that the Air Force was in the process of procuring and installing state of the art modern aeromedical equipment such as the Ejection Procedure Simulator (EPS), Explosive Decompression and Rapid Recompression Chamber (EDC RRC) which would take aeromedical evaluation and training to a higher level of sophistication.
Air Marshal B Suresh AVSM VM, Senior Air Staff Officer, WAC, the Guest of Honour stated that our primary job is war fighting i.e, to fight and win wars. He urged the medical fraternity to conduct research and find solutions to aeromedical problems as and when they appear. He also exhorted the Air Force doctors to constantly endeavor to return medically unfit pilots to flying as quickly as possible, in order to improve the cockpit to pilot ratio. He also expressed that the doctors had a very important role in educating and influencing the Air Force community, to inculcate healthy lifestyles and dietary habits so as to curb the menace of lifestyle disorders such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Lastly, he emphasized the legendary trust and bonhomie that existed between aircrew and the doctors and exhorted everyone to strengthen it further.
AVM Pradeep Kharbanda VSM, Principal Medical Officer HQ WAC, an Aviation Medicine specialist himself, moderated the brainstorming session, where issues faced by operational bases were discussed and resolved. Dr Gayatri Vyas Mahindroo Director National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers (NABH), delivered the keynote address on “Accreditation of SMCs”. DGMS (Air) added that the greatest advantage in following accreditation standards was Patient Safety, which is also a Key Result Area of the Air Force medical services. He asked SMOs to observe “2015 as the Year of Safe Outpatient” in all earnestness and ensure delivery of highest quality healthcare in a safe environment, to the dependent population. DGMS (Air) applauded the outstanding relief work undertaken by WAC and the Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT) in Nepal, as a part of Op Maitri.
As part of two day conference, in field visit to AF Station Hindan, the flight surgeons witnessed C-130 and C-17, the modern heavy air lift giants of the Indian Air Force, in their ambulance role. They also had a hands-on exposure to the high-tech patient transfer unit (PTU) which the Air Force utilizes for shifting critically ill patients from one ICU to another. For most participants this firsthand experience was enriching and a unique experience.