The Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS) did today, Monday, January 12, 2026, successfully conducted an emergency aeromedical evacuation involving three critically ill patients from Chinsali General Hospital to Lusaka for specialized medical care.

The operation was authorized by the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi.

The three patients included a six-day-old infant with a congenital abdominal defect, a 35-year-old man with acute ascending paralysis, and a 26-year-old road accident victim with a traumatic brain injury.

They needed urgent care that Chinsali's facility could not provide.The infant, who was born with exomphalos, needed immediate pediatric surgery because abdominal organs developed outside the body wall.

The adult male showed signs of suspected Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that leads to fast muscle weakness and paralysis.

He was recovering from malaria and needed a CT scan and urgent neurological assessment at the University Teaching Hospital Adult Hospital.

The third patient, a young man with severe head trauma from a traffic accident, required specialized neurosurgical treatment.

The ZFDS aircraft, registration 9J-FDS, departed Ndola at 08:20 hours and arrived in Chinsali at 10:00 hours. Departure from Chinsali was delayed due to the late arrival of the ambulance transporting the patients from Chinsali General Hospital to the airstrip. Following careful patient loading and stabilization, the aircraft took off at 12:20 hours and safely landed at the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) wing of Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at 14:35 hours.

The flight was piloted by Deputy Director of Aviation Services, Mr. Patrick Kawanu, with Ms. Chanda Mupangwe serving as co-pilot. Medical care during the flight was provided by Paramedic Suzen Banda and Anesthetist Musenge Bupe, who ensured continuous monitoring and stabilization of the patients throughout the evacuation.

Upon arrival in Lusaka, all three patients were successfully handed over to a waiting medical team from the University Teaching Hospital, where they were admitted to their respective specialist departments for further management.

ZFDS operates under the Ministry of Health as a national emergency medical response service, providing rapid aeromedical evacuations for patients in rural, remote, and hard-to-reach areas across Zambia.