RSAF's first female search-and-rescue doctor
Captain (CPT) (Dr) Tabitha Ang is part of the RSAF's Rescue 10 helicopter crew that brings a "hospital" to the critically ill and injured on board ships and in remote places.//Story & Video by Koh Eng Beng
//Photos by Kenneth Lin & courtesy of CPT (Dr) Tabitha Ang
Unlike most doctors who work in a hospital or clinic, CPT (Dr) Ang treats patients on board the RSAF rescue helicopter, Rescue 10.
She is the first female Search and Rescue (SAR) medical officer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and has a distinctive callsign: Mulan.
Earlier this June, the 27-year-old took part in her first SAR mission.
As part of Rescue 10's six-person crew, she helped to heli-evacuate a severely ill patient from a cargo ship near Singapore waters, to Singapore General Hospital.
During the mission, she was winched down to the ship deck while the helicopter hovered in mid-air.
And after the patient was brought on board, she had to carefully insert an intravenous (IV) tube into his vein while the helicopter was flying, in order to stabilise his condition.
Watch the video to find out how she handled these challenges:
