Medical experts from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) have concluded a three-day virtual Global Health Engagement as part of the on-going "Balikatan" Exercise 2021.
Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said the knowledge exchange and key leader engagement was held virtually for the first time due to conditions brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It was held from April 12 to April 14.
"The global pandemic may have limited some aspects of the Balikatan Exercise but it will never dampen the spirit of friendship, partnership, and shared aspirations of both Philippines and United States armed forces," said Arevalo, who is also the commander of AFP Education Training and Doctrine Command (ETDC) and exercise director of Balikatan 2021.
Col. Maria Socorro Posadas, PAF chief surgeon, spearheaded topics in aviation medicine and discussed the key roles of the air force in the pandemic management and COVID-19 vaccination plan. She also tackled aerospace medicine guidelines, aeromedical evacuation medical equipment and facility modification, and mass casualty response during a pandemic.
"Engagement such as this had been carried out regularly between the Office of the Chief Surgeon Air Force and PACAF to produce meaningful exchanges of medical knowledge and practices in the field of Aerospace Medicine," Posadas said.
"In this Balikatan 2021 virtual teleconference, both parties were able to showcase their experience and expertise in their respective fields as well as to highlight the improvements and innovations they instituted to fulfil their mission through this pandemic," she added.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Cherielynne Gabriel, the PACAF command surgeon, and Col. Rudy Cachuela, an international health specialist, also participated in the virtual activity from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
Gabriel said the main objective of the exchange was "to provide an overview of the present pandemic situation from surveillance, on-scene response, testing and monitoring to patient treatment, and modifications to patient movement."
"It aims to share best practices, enhance knowledge of participants, and maintain relationships until we can practice medical interoperability in-person again when global health conditions improve," she said.
Ths Balikatan Exercise is an annual military training event which highlights the Philippines and US militaries' continued commitment to train and share information in order to improve their ability to coordinate a multilateral response to a crisis.
After getting delayed last year due to the pandemic, the 36th iteration of the Balikatan Exercise was kicked off last April 12. It will conclude on April 23.
"The longstanding exercise continues amidst the global pandemic to manifest our unequivocal commitment to maintain national and regional peace and security, and preparedness to respond to health emergencies," Arevalo said.