Last week, for three consecutive days, Horacio Oduber Hospital (HOH) offered the Doctor On Board course provided by KLM Health Services. During this interactive course, participants learned more about what to do in the event of a medical incident occurring on an airplane. Lenie Denteneer, Manager of HOH Academy, stated that Doctor On Board is a course organized by HOH Academy in collaboration with KLM Health Services and is very popular in the Netherlands.
There is even a waiting list in the Netherlands that can extend up to 2 years for people interested in participating in the Doctor On Board course. HOH organized a total of three days of training, allowing each group the opportunity to participate in this interesting course covering various topics important for flying with KLM.
In-Flight Doctor
Topics discussed during this course included what to expect during a flight, what “fit to fly” means, the effects of travel on the human body, the contents of the onboard medical kit, and not forgetting the legal and insurance aspects. It is important for a doctor or other medical professional to be well-informed about everything that happens when asked to provide medical assistance during a flight. Participants learned that it is mandatory to register themselves to provide assistance (for those registered under the BIG) and what happens behind the scenes when the crew makes an emergency call.
Well Prepared
Jacco Vroegop, a participant and also the chairman of the HOH Board of Directors, expressed his satisfaction with HOH Academy for organizing this course. He found the course very interesting and mentioned that it provided participants with different tools in case of any incidents during a flight. Vroegop expressed his contentment with KLM organizing this course together with HOH Academy and stated that many specialists, local doctors, and specialized nurses took advantage of this opportunity to prepare for potential incidents during flights. He also mentioned that several doctors from abroad traveled to Aruba specifically for this course.
An Interesting Course
Reina Fernandes, a participant in the course and a local doctor, commented that she enrolled in this course for two important reasons. The first reason is that as a doctor, she can often assist during flights, and this course provided comprehensive information on what to expect and what to do. The second reason she enrolled in the course is that a few months ago, HOH Academy organized a course on antibiotics, and Dr. Fernandes appreciated the content and high quality of that course very much. This led her to remain very interested in enrolling and participating in all the courses organized by HOH Academy.
Medical Aviation Aspects
Peter Nijhof, a local doctor and aviation and LCR travel medicine specialist at KLM Health Services in the Netherlands, mentioned that this was the first time they organized this course for professionals in the Dutch Caribbean. The course was very enjoyable and interesting to conduct. The main reason they advise doctors in the Netherlands to take this course is to educate them about medical aspects when something happens during a flight.
A thank you and congratulations go to the entire team of HOH Academy, who worked hard to bring this successful course to Aruba. Once again, they have put Aruba on the map with another top-quality medical course for our island.
