BEIJING, July 12 -- The Y-9 medical aircraft, known as the first “flying hospital” of the PLA, has recently become a trending topic on China's social media platform Weibo.
The Y-9 medical aircraft, renovated from the Y-9 military transport aircraft, is used to evacuate patients on the battlefield. Well equipped to perform en-route diagnosis, treatment and small surgical operations, it is truly a mobile hospital in the air.
The patient zone onboard is divided into two parts – general casualty area and ICU. The plane can carry more than 30 patients to the rear hospital by one flight.
Every stretcher in the general casualty area can be taken down for field operation, thus transferring the patients to the destination more conveniently. They are all fitted with an ECG monitor, breathing machine, infusion pump and vacuum extractor, all of which can be quickly installed and dismantled.
The ICU section is fully equipped to carry out infusion, blood transfusion and necessary surgical operation, and has an independent oxygen supply system, so as to ensure the patients’ safety while on the way.
Featuring advanced technologies and the full range of facilities, the Y-9 medical aircraft moves faster and is more capable of diagnosis and treatment than the MEDEVAC helicopter, largely improving the PLA’s capability of performing various logistic support tasks.
It is learned that the aircraft has evacuated several severely injured patients from Xinjiang, Tibet, and Qinghai to rear hospitals since it was commissioned, saving precious time for the injured.
