Airforce helicopter races to airlift critical 12-year-old patient to Bangkok

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) successfully airlifted a 12-year-old patient suffering from acute heart failure from Chanthaburi to King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, ensuring the child arrived safely for life-saving care.

In a statement released today, the RTAF reported that the emergency medical evacuation took place on Tuesday, in collaboration with the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM).

An H225M helicopter, assigned to Flying Unit 2034, was deployed to transfer the child, who was suffering from severe myocarditis and cardiac arrest. The patient required continuous life-support, using an Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) device, during the transfer from Prapokklao Hospital in Chanthaburi province.

The flight itinerary spanned Wing 6 in Don Mueang, Taksin Military Camp in Chanthaburi and back to Wing 6, accumulating a total flight time of two hours and 20 minutes across two sorties. Air Force officials confirmed the mission proceeded as planned and the young patient was safely handed over to medical teams in the capital.

The air force noted that this emergency flight was part of its ongoing deployment of resources to support emergency services and disaster-relief operations across the country.