Page 74 - Royal Jordanian Air Force Book
P. 74
WHERE WE ARE NOW HIGHLIGHTS
RJAF MEDICAL
SERVICES
A MULTI-TASK SQUAD,
WITH RECOGNITION
The medical services constitute the medical Related to that, also a unique aspect of the services
support unit at the Air Force, with its command is the physiological training of pilots. The Tababa
based at RJAF's headquarters in Amman. There at the headquarters has a special chamber where
is a clinic affiliated with this command at every specialists mimic the aircraft environment at the
unit of the Air Force. targeted altitudes, so that pilots would tell what
physiological changes happen to their bodies, due
The medical centre, called Tababa, at the to low oxygen, for example, so that they would
headquarters has clinics, labs, a pharmacy and train on how to react under such conditions.
an X-ray clinic. It can handle all the cases, except
critical cases that need care at military hospitals. The doctors and other medics in charge of this
There are five such comprehensive clinics and training have taken special aviation medicine
11 smaller ones affiliated with the RJAF. courses in Jordan and the US. Specialists from
US Air Force come every year to evaluate the
However, the Tababa has a special task and a training of medics taking place at RJAF and give
unique responsibility: Since Air Force pilots recognition to the process. Resident physicians
need to be highly fit physically (Grade 1-A) to spend four years training on aviation medicine
fly aircraft, the job of the doctors at the Tababa at these clinics and qualify to sit for the Jordan
is to ensure that they are fit for the job. It starts Medical Board examination to become specialists
at the recruitment stage, when a joint medical in the field and thus start training resident doctors
committee from the military and RJAF carries at the Tababa.
out the medical tests for applicants, and the
Air Force's medics take it from there to ensure Air medical evacuation is the third task of RJAF
that serving pilots remain in the best shape to Medical Services, which is different from the
fly aircraft. For that purpose, pilots undergo an air ambulance service. The medical evacuation
annual check-up covering every health aspect, support is provided to the entire Jordan Armed
including mental health. Forces-Arab Army and security troops. The
evacuation process is of two types. The first
DR. MANAL is casual evacuation, which is applied during
ABU AL GHANAM operations conducted by the military, police
and the Gendarmerie, while medical evacuation
teams are also deployed to search and rescue
operations, even those involving civilians (both
Jordanians and tourists).
In addition to all that, the Tababa clinics provide
medical care to airmen and their families.
ROYAL JORDANIAN AIR FORCE 73
