Security
THE Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall, Sadique Abubakar, has reiterated commitment to provide robust medical support services to Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel.
Abubakar stated this on Wednesday at the graduation and simulation exercise of aerial movement training phase 4, at the Commando Village, NAF Base, Kaduna.
He said that the engagement of the Air Force in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other national security challenges requires a robust medical support for personnel and their families.
The CAS noted that the service had made huge investments to upgrade its medical facilities in the past four years in the country, saying that: “In addition, medical personnel have been enlisted and recruited into the service to man these facilities.
“To enhance professional performance of the personnel, they undergo robust and result oriented human capacity development training”.
Abubakar explained that the Aerial Patient Movement Training Phase 4 was a further demonstration of the resolve of the NAF management to ensure that medical personnel have requisite knowledge and skills in healthcare service delivery.
” This will in turn result in value added services to the personnel and their families.
“May I quickly add that we have not only trained 25 NAF personnel but also 12 personnel from the sister services as well,” he said.
According to him, the Phase I training was conducted at NAF Headquarters, Abuja beteeen June 9 and 23 2019; and Phase II was also held between October 14 and 25, while the Phase III training focused on combat rescue and mission operations.
He added the training programme was designed to develop NAF capacity in local and international Flight Medicine and Aerial Movement to meet the needs of the service.
Abubakar noted that the exercise has improved the capacity of the medical personnel in the evacuatio of the wounded in the theatres of operations more effectively and efficiently.
“NAF is indeed most grateful to our Resource Persons from the Office of Security Cooperation of the US Department of Defence. We look forward to more collaborations in this regard” he added.
The CAS tasked the participants to utilize what they learnt to improve their skills in aerial patient movement for enhanced healthcare service delivery.
Also speaking, the NAF Chief of Medical Services, Air Cdr. Gideon Bako, said that capacity building through viable initiatives was one of the key drivers of the CAS’ vision in the transformation of the service.
Bako said that the service was providing local and overseas training to personnel in collaboration with its partners.
According to him, the Office of Security Cooperation (OSC), Embassy of the US Government proposed the training to provide personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces with the requisite expertise in patient movement.
“It is indeed timely in view of the involvement of the Armed Forces in various theatres of operations particularly in the fight against insurgency.
“NAF medical personnel have carried out several missions. Presently, the NAF has two Aeromedical Evacuation Teams stationed in Yola and Maiduguri,” he said. (NAN)
– Feb. 5, 2020 @ 17:25 GMT |
Tags: Insecurity: Abubakar restates commitment to robust medical services for personnel
