In August 2023, we received a commission from an insurance company to transport a Chinese employee who was unfortunately injured in Angola back to China. The patient suffered multiple fractures in the lumbar spine and pelvis, along with damage to the abdominal organs. Initially, a medical charter flight was planned for the return, but the cost was prohibitive for the company.
After careful evaluation by our medical department, we proposed an air stretcher transport solution that ensured the patient’s safety. We also identified the optimal route, transferring through Addis Ababa from Luanda to finally arrive in Chengdu.
However, this flight only operates twice a week, and if we missed the Monday flight, we would have to wait until Thursday. Due to visa issues, it was best to catch the Monday flight. Stretcher tickets must be purchased 72 hours in advance, but due to time zone differences, the airline’s finance department indicated on Friday that they had not received payment for the stretcher ticket, making it uncertain whether we could board on Monday.
Despite these uncertainties, our medical staff resolutely set off on Friday. They encountered a typhoon and were delayed for over 10 hours at the departure location, having to reschedule three times before finally arriving in Luanda on time.
First, they located the airline’s local office to purchase the stretcher ticket on-site; then, they visited the hospital to check on the patient, gathering detailed information about the condition and preparing all necessary medications and equipment. Finally, they successfully boarded the flight on schedule and safely transported the patient back to West China Hospital in Chengdu, completing the mission successfully.
