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C3
Medical Unit GFS (Aux): 20th Anniversary Seminar
C3.1 Two Decades of Air Medical Service in Hong Kong and the Flight Forward
Dr Willis WH Kwok
Senior Auxiliary Member (Auxiliary),
Hong Kong Government Flying Service
Dr Willis WH Kwok entered the field of emergency medicine after graduation. He is currently working in the Accident and Emergency Department of Yan Chai Hospital in the capacity of Associate Consultant.
He joined Government Flying Service (GFS) Auxiliary Section as Air Medical Office (AMO) in 2000 as one of the founding members of Medical Unit. He is now the Senior Auxiliary Member since 2019. A post equivalent to Wing Commander in old HKRAAF, taking care of 80 plus members including flight doctors and nurses in Medical Unit, and others in Operations Support, Air Crewmen Support and Administration Unit.
Abstract
Government Flying Service (GFS) provides 24/7 Search and Rescue (SAR) operations covering the majority of the South China Sea up to 1300 nautical miles south of Hong Kong. In in-house air medical service, GFS helicopters can arrive on scene within 20 minutes anywhere in Hong Kong, including clinics in outlying islands.
To enhance prehospital emergency medical care, GFS established Medic Unit (MU) under Auxiliary Section in 2000 to include trained doctors and nurses, who volunteer their services to provide specialist trauma and emergency treatment to the patients onboard and on scene.
Over two decades, it serves as primary response in austere environment, as in mountain rescue, oil rig fire, man-overboard SAR, vessel capsized etc, and air ambulance in interhospital transfer. The service has been extended to road side rescue and long-range medical retrieval from oversea.
At times when medical personnel are not available, full-time Air Crewmen Officers (ACMO) are the ones who reply to medical calls. Various programmes have been commenced to provide medical knowledge and practical clinical skill in prehospital management for ACMO, with the aim towards paramedic level.
Since 2019, GFS has started fleet renewal with replacement of SuperPuma L2 and EC155 (Dolphin) by H155 (Leopard). Together with commencement of Kai Tak Division in 2021, there will be a new page, new challenge and new opportunity in MU.
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