Emergency responders transport the unconscious passenger to hospital for urgent medical treatment. [Photo/en.xmu.edu.cn]
Xiamen has completed the first helicopter medical evacuation mission involving a Taiwan resident, after a coordinated sea-and-air rescue brought a critically ill passenger from an international cruise ship to shore for treatment. The patient has since recovered and returned to Taiwan.
The emergency began roughly 60 nautical miles southeast of Xiamen when a cruise ship issued a distress call, reporting that a tourist had fallen overboard. The passenger was pulled from the water unconscious and in critical condition, prompting a response from Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University and the Ministry of Transport's Donghai No 2 Flying Service.
The East China Sea Rescue Bureau under the Ministry of Transport launched an emergency response, dispatching a helicopter to the scene, where winds proved stronger than forecasted. Upon reaching the ship, an emergency physician from Xiang'an Hospital stabilized the patient on-site before rescue crews hoisted the individual into the aircraft for transport.
During transit, the physician monitored the patient's vital signs and maintained an open airway, transmitting real-time heart rate and oxygen saturation data to the hospital via onboard systems.
Once the helicopter landed, a multidisciplinary medical team took over, providing the intensive care necessary to stabilize the patient's condition.
This mission marks the 60th such rescue completed by the Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University and the Ministry of Transport's Donghai No 2 Flying Service since 2019. The program has become a cornerstone of an expanding land, sea, and air emergency system designed to ensure medical security across the Taiwan Strait.
