EATC’s sixth annual conference of the NPECC conference (National Patient Evacuation Coordination Centres - conference) took place from 29 to 31 January 2020 at Eindhoven Air Base. The conference is organised on an annual basis, bringing together the member nations’ and EATC’s medical experts.
Major General Marboeuf, Commander EATC, opened the NPECC conference highlighting that together, EATC and the nations, constitute a genuine chain of rescue for the personnel deployed in operations. Moreover he stated that “multinational harmonisation is key to further success of European air mobility. Striving for more alignment of medical equipment, aircraft configuration or airworthiness certification offers increasing possibilities in a multilateral approach for the transportation of patients, and thereby the best use of EATC on a daily basis.”
This year’s NPECC conference focused on the standardisation of basic aeromedical evacuation training in the member nations. The attendees also discussed how to optimise operational procedures, especially in the field of interaction to ensure quick and reliable reaction to the scenario at hand.
To Colonel Dr Tilmann Moll, head of EATC’s Aeromedical Evacuation Control Centre, it is of utmost importance to offer a high standard of medical care in operation and the assurance to bring a patient swiftly home when needed. “A strategic aeromedical evacuation aircraft is the ultimate morale booster for our combat troops. It is our responsibility to make sure that they know that at all moment we take care of our troops.”
The challenge for the future is to offer, promote and then routinely carry out more cross-national missions, i.e. with mixed medical crew from different nations.
Once again the NPECC conference has proven to be an effective tool to enhance the confidence, to share mutual ideas and to prepare for the future in the aeromedical evacuation domain - for the benefit of the nations and the patients.