ABU DHABI, 28th October, 2023 (WAM) — On its second day, participants in the 69th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine (ICASM) discussed many medical topics in the field of aviation and space medicine in four main sessions.
The Congress is being hosted by Abu Dhabi for the first time in the Middle East between 27-29 October with around 600 participants from all over the world.
Dr. Nadia Bastaki, the UAE’s first female consultant in Aviation Medicine Specialist and Executive Director of Personnel and Corporate Affairs at Etihad Airways, said that aviation and space medicine in the UAE has evolved significantly in all aspects.
On the sidelines of the ICASM-2023, Dr. Bastaki stated that the Congress aims to enhance awareness of medical staff and community members of the importance of aviation medicine.
“Airlines should focus more on travelers’ safety, which is closely related to the safety of pilots and crew members, who necessarily must be fit and healthy so as to be able to fulfill their tasks safely and securely,” Dr. Bastaki added.
She also pointed out that Etihad Airways is keen to keep pace with innovations and scientific developments in the field of aviation and space medicine, and acquire the latest equipment in this field. It also hires the most distinguished healthcare companies to take care of its crews of pilots and flight attendants, as well as passengers on board its flights. The flight attendants are also trained on first aid and how to deal with any health symptom on board through communicating with the medical team on the ground.
Dr. Bastaki also said that the Etihad Airways clinic is equipped according to the highest international standards. It is the region’s first clinic certified by the Civil Aviation Authority, the International Aviation Agency, and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Maria Paula Gomez, UAE, Director and Organ Transplantation Expert at the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, “Hayat” at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, spoke about the importance of a rapid response to the process of transporting human organs, arrival of air ambulance to patient urgently wherever they are.
She said that about 16,118 people are registered in the “Hayat” programme, which has performed 460 organ transplants since 2017 until today, while the number of organ donors has reached about 160 donors during the same period, noting that about 4,000 patients in the UAE have chronic kidney disease, undergo dialysis and need kidney transplants.