A C-130J transport aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade of the Italian Air Force landed at the military airport of Pratica di Mare (RM) late yesterday evening carrying a newborn baby of only 20 days in imminent danger of life, for which made it necessary to transport it from the military airport of Lecce-Galatina, home of the 61st Wing to the Roman military airport.
The little patient was hospitalized at the Cardinal Panico Hospital in Tricase (LE) when, due to the worsening of his clinical conditions, it was necessary to transfer him immediately to the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome.
The Cabinet Office of the Prefecture of Lecce requested the emergency air transport, which coordinated the acquisition of the necessary certifications and the activation of the flight operations in relation to the documented dangerous conditions in which the newborn was in .
This was followed by the take-off order from the Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (FE) which activated one of the Air Force crews in alert readiness, which every year performs hundreds of flight hours 24 hours a day for this type of interventions, including the transport of organs and medical teams for transplants, with the aircraft of the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare and the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.
Specifically, it was necessary to use the special C-130J aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, suitable for directly embarking the ambulance with the specific medical equipment necessary for the transfer of the small patient on board.
After landing at the Lazio military airport, the ambulance headed towards the pediatric hospital in Rome, while the aircraft returned to the permanent base in Pisa to resume the 24-hour readiness service.