A total of 12 Air India personnel including 4 pilots of the first batch of evacuation flight departing from Kochi on May 7 were provided infection control training by Government Medical College, Ernakulam, said District Collector S Suhas.
"12 Air India personnel including 4 pilots of the first batch of evacuation flight departing from Kochi tomorrow were provided infection control training by Government Medical College," S Suhas said.
"RT-PCR test were also conducted for the entire crew," he added.
The training given by the expert infection control panel of Kalamassery Medical College included all the steps regarding the donning and doffing of PPE suits, infection control practices to be followed in flight and also the management of anticipated health emergencies during the flight.
"The expert panel was headed by medical college Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Ganesh Mohan M, Assistant Resident Medical Officer (ARMO) Dr Manoj Antony, Dr Gokul Sanjeevan and infection control staff nurse Vidhya," Suhas said.
He said that a practical demonstration of both donning and doffing of PPE suites according to the protocol was also given to the crew. They were also provided with practice kits.
Speaking to , Air India Captain, Paartha Sarkar said, "The training given by GMC Ernakulam has helped build the confidence level of the entire crew considerably and we are now fully confident to undertake the rescue mission."
( With inputs from ANI )