The Indian Coast Guard on Monday carried out a successful risky mid-sea medical evacuation of a critically ill mariner, suffering from a suspected stroke and partial paralysis, from a private tanker off the Kerala coast amidst challenging weather conditions using the indigenously built Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) MK-III. On Sunday, the Centro Internazionale Radio Medic (CIRM), Italy informed the Indian Coast Guard about the distressed crew member, Pradeep Das onboard the Motor Tanker Global Star, as per a report by news agency PTI.
The CIRM informed that Das was suffering from a suspected stroke, high blood pressure, and partial paralysis on the left side and required medical evacuation at the earliest, the Coast Guard said in a statement, as per the report.
Subsequently, the Maritime Rescue sub-centre (MRSC) at Kochi coordinated the operation and established communication with the vessel to provide telemedical assistance and plan the evacuation of the distressed mariner.
"Understanding the vulnerability of the situation, rough seas, and prevailing weather conditions, Coast Guard ALH was launched on July 24 morning in medical configuration to carry out mid-sea medical evacuation 112 nautical miles in the sea from Kochi.
"Amidst challenging weather, rough sea, heavy rain, and poor visibility, the professional pilots of ICG aircraft reached MT Global Star in the shortest possible time and successfully evacuated the distressed mariner," the statement said.
The sailor was managed medically onboard the ALH enroute to Kochi and was later transferred to the Gautam Hospital for further medical treatment upon arrival at the port city, it said.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, the tanker was en route from Khorfakkan in UAE to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and during its journey, the vessel developed a technical snag on July 10 and was anchored 52 miles west of Kozhikode.