Official website of the President of Russia

Transcripts   /

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Sergei Kuzhugetovich, I gave you instructions relating to the dramatic events that took place in Vietnam: to help our citizens by evacuating the wounded and providing help on the ground. Please tell me about what has been done.

Minister of Civil Defence, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief Sergei Shoigu: Dmitry Anatolyevich, yesterday, a large group of doctors and psychologists arrived in Vietnam, and they brought along relatives of the victims who wanted to accompany the injured. It was also necessary to bring legal and medical experts and relatives to identify the dead.

This entire group arrived in Vietnam early this morning. All work has been completed, and 45 minutes ago, the plane took off for Moscow. It took all of the injured, including those with serious injuries – there are three such individuals. This is the first time that we are using a new technology: we now have an aircraft for evacuations with eight modules for people suffering from serious injuries, by which I mean intensive care modules for transporting those people over long distances.

Dmitry Medvedev: Modules that are built right into the airplane?

Sergei Shoigu: Yes, they are built right into the airplane. This kind of transport over long distances is a new form of technology, for Europe and for us.

Dmitry Medvedev: What airplane was used as a basis?

Sergei Shoigu: It was created on the basis of the Il-76 airplane. But our system is different from other systems in that the same intensive care modules can be placed on other types of airplanes and onto helicopters. That means that they can be used on aero-medical evacuation planes, they can be installed on passenger planes, and they can be used on Il-62, Yak-42, Tu-154, and the new Tu-204 airplane models.

Dmitry Medvedev: So in terms of their size, they can fit into practically any of the planes you just named?

Sergei Shoigu: Equipment can be made for them, depending on our needs. So if we need artificial lung ventilation, then we can add the corresponding equipment, if we need other additional procedures during the entire flight…

Dmitry Medvedev: To additionally conduct CPR during the transportation.

Sergei Shoigu: Yes. And it is no less important, at least for us, that all this equipment is made in Russia, in our factories – mainly, factories in Tatarstan.

Dmitry Medvedev: Very well.