Indian Navy provides critical medical help to Pak national in Central Arabian Sea

The Navy's mission deployed stealth frigate INS Trikand, operating in the Central Arabian Sea, provided the urgent critical medical assistance to the Pakistani crew. The naval medical team performed a surgical procedure here to save the injured person.

The Paklistani crew was a part of a fishing vessel operating approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Oman coast.

The crew suffered severe injury involving multiple fractures and blood loss.

The Indian Navy informed on Sunday that INS Trikand, on the morning of April 4, intercepted a distress call from an Iranian dhow, Al Omeedi. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that a crew member of the dhow had sustained severe injuries to his fingers while working on the engine. He was in critical condition and had been transferred to another dhow named 'Fishing Vessel Abdul Rehman Hanzia', which was en route to Iran.

Indian Navy's Trikand immediately altered its course to provide medical assistance to the injured crew member.

The Navy officials said the crew of Fishing Vessel Abdul Rehman Hanzia consisted of 11 Pakistani (nine Baloch and two Sindhi) and five Iranian personnel.

According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the injured individual, a Pakistani (Baloch) national, had suffered multiple fractures and severe hand injuries, resulting in heavy blood loss. The Medical Officer of INS Trikand, along with a team comprising MARCOS (Marine Commandos) and the Ship's Boarding Team, boarded the FV to administer aid.

After providing local anesthesia, the Ship's Medical Team performed suturing and splinting on the injured fingers. The surgical procedure, which lasted for over three hours, was successfully completed, and bleeding was controlled in time, thereby preventing potential permanent loss of the injured fingers due to gangrene, officials added.

The MoD said that additionally, medical supplies, including antibiotics, were provided to the FV to ensure the crew's well-being until they reached Iran. The entire crew expressed their deep gratitude to the Indian Navy for the timely assistance in saving their crewmate's life.