Y-20 Traverses a Thousand Miles, Witnessing a Life-Saving Relay
For the Life of One Soldier
■ PLA Daily Special Correspondents Yang Xiaobo and Peng Xiaoming
[Photo caption: En route during medical transfer. Photo by Wan Zhongyu]
On May 13, reporters learned from the Army Characteristic Medical Center that a critically ill soldier who had previously been transferred to the center for emergency treatment had largely recovered under the careful treatment and care of medical personnel, and completed discharge procedures that morning.
The clock turns back to approximately 2:00 a.m. on April 25, when the Western Theater Command Joint Operations Center received a report that a soldier from an Army unit stationed on the plateau had suffered a sudden acute illness and his life was in critical danger. The Army's 957th Hospital and experts from multiple hospitals immediately conducted a remote joint consultation and determined that the soldier's condition was critical, requiring urgent evacuation to the interior for treatment.
Time is life. Upon receiving the report, the Western Theater Command Joint Operations Center rapidly activated its emergency rescue mechanism and coordinated the dispatch of a Y-20 transport aircraft to fly to the plateau to transport the stricken soldier. After the order was issued, personnel at each station within the center quickly coordinated matters concerning the aircraft type and crew, medical support, and receiving hospital, making meticulous arrangements for the entire transfer process. A life-saving rescue spanning a thousand miles immediately unfolded simultaneously across multiple locations.
In the deep of night, at an Air Force airfield, the Y-20's cargo door slowly opened, and ground crew immediately began emergency maintenance and inspection while the combat-ready standby crew awaited orders. At the same time, six experts from the Air Force's 452nd Hospital, carrying emergency medical equipment including infusion pumps and oxygen cylinders, rushed through the night to the airfield to carry out the aerial transfer and medical care mission for the stricken soldier.
At 5:00 a.m., the Y-20 flew toward the plateau into the faint light of dawn. Inside the cabin, the Air Force expert team studied an in-flight treatment plan based on the stricken soldier's known condition, to ensure that treatment could proceed in an orderly manner during the high-altitude transfer. At the Army's 957th Hospital, military doctors had not closed their eyes all night, simultaneously continuing to treat the stricken soldier and carefully preparing for the transfer.
At around 9:00 a.m., engines roared at Ali Gunsa Airport at an altitude of over 4,000 meters as the Y-20 landed steadily. Medical personnel immediately loaded the stricken soldier onto the aircraft. Shortly after, the Y-20 took to the skies once again. During the flight, the Air Force expert team checked the stricken soldier's blood pressure, respiration, blood oxygen, and other indicators every ten minutes.
High above, the Y-20's massive steel frame crossed over the Ali Plateau. Inside the cabin, the steady beeping of monitoring equipment intertwined with the stricken soldier's faint breathing.
The life-saving rescue raced against every second. At around 2:00 p.m., at Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, the Y-20 was given landing priority; ground personnel guided an ambulance directly to the aircraft's rear, the Army Characteristic Medical Center expert team linked up with the Air Force 452nd Hospital expert team, and the stricken soldier was immediately rushed to the hospital.
On the large screen at the Western Theater Command Joint Operations Center, the Y-20's flight track across a thousand miles was displayed in real time, bearing witness to the life-saving relay of plateau treatment, in-flight treatment, and rear-area hospital treatment.
"I am grateful to my comrades, grateful to the hospital — it was the organization that gave me a second life," the soldier said with emotion to reporters during the interview.
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