New Delhi. The Naval Aircraft Yard, Kochi, under the Southern Naval Command has indigenously designed and made an Air Evacuation Pod (AEP) for safe evacuation of Covid-19 patients from remote locations.
The AEP will facilitate the evacuation of patients in a fully sealed patient transfer capsule, ensuring there is no risk for cross infection to pilots and evacuation team and the need to sanitise the aircraft post evacuation.
According to a release, the cost of Air Evacuation Stretcher for transfer of Covid patients from remote locations is Rs 50,000 as against the cost of an imported piece of Rs 59 Lakhs. So far 12 units have been transferred to other Commands.
The AEP will not only aid during the pandemic, but also in normal operations of ships where casevac (casualty evacuation) from sea is an integral part.
The evacuation pod was designed under the guidance of the principal medical officer of the naval air station at Kochi, INS Garuda in consultation with specialists from the naval hospital INHS Sanjivani and SNC headquarters, the statement said.
It is made of aluminum, nitrile rubber and Perspex.
The highlight of the pod is that it weighs only 32 kg and that trials of evacuating patients inside AEP were successfully completed on April eight aboard Indian Navy’s Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dornier aircraft at SNC.
So far, 12 AEPs are planned for distribution across Southern, Western, Eastern and Andaman and Nicobar Naval commands.
