Navy’s 3-hour mid-sea procedure saves Pak fisherman’s hand

An Indian Navy Medical Officer has carried out a three-hour-long surgical procedure in mid-sea to save the hand of a Pakistani fisherman on board a fishing vessel.

The medical officer was on board INS Trikand, deployed 650 km east of Oman in the Arabian Sea and was despatched, along with marine commandoes, from the ship to help the injured fisherman.

The Indian Navy said the fisherman was administered local anaesthesia and the medical team performed suturing and splinting on the injured fingers. “It was successfully completed, and bleeding was controlled in time, thereby preventing permanent loss of injured fingers due to gangrene,” the Navy said.

INS Trikand, on April 4, got a mid-sea distress call from an Iranian dhow Al Omeedi. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that a crew member of the dhow had sustained severe injuries to his fingers while working on the engine and was in critical condition. The injured person had been transferred to vessel FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia, which was en route for Iran.

The INS Trikand altered its course to provide medical assistance to the injured crew member. The crew of FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia consisted of 11 Pakistani and 5 Iranian personnel. The injured individual, a Pakistani national, had suffered multiple fractures and severe hand injuries, resulting in heavy blood loss.

Besides, medical supplies, including antibiotics, were provided to the vessel to ensure the crew’s well-being until they reached Iran.