by Maj Jeff Baldwin | 13 June 2014 From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs Medical staff from U.S Navy and Japan Maritime Self Forces (JMSDF) led a medical evacuation demonstration for the Vietnamese military as part of Pacific Partnership 2014, June 11. [caption id="attachment_853" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Japanese medical staff attached to the JS Kunisaki (LST 4003) check the condition of Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marvin Galapin during a simulated medical evacuation as part of Pacific Partnership 2014. Pacific Partnership is in its ninth iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera) ?Today we led a demonstration for the Vietnamese medics on how to safely do a medical evacuation of a patient from the ship to the shore,? said Lt. Cmdr. Veronica Bigornia, a family practice physician. ?We tried to impart to them that any one can do this as long as you are using the right techniques and to be creative if you don?t have the same equipment.? It is known as a ship to shore transport. The first stage of the demonstration started when a patient was identified onboard the JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), currently in port in Da Nang. The patient was then put on a backboard, stabilizing their spine and protecting them from any unknown spinal cord injuries while medical staff conduct an initial assessment. ?The second stage was stabilization in the sick bay and then making the decision of either to keep the patient on the ship or transport them to a higher level of care based on the severity of the injuries,? said Bigornia. [caption id="attachment_854" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Medical staff from the U.S. Navy, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, Australian forces and Vietnam forces evacuate Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marvin Galapin on a stretcher during a simulated medical evacuation as part of Pacific Partnership 2014. Pacific Partnership is in its ninth iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera) After the training was complete, the groups discussed the training and shard lessons they had all learned from the scenario. ?They responded well to the training and they had a lot of great questions, it really felt like we were able to contribute and impart some knowledge,? said Bigornia. [caption id="attachment_850" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Medical staff from the U.S. Navy, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, Australian forces and Vietnam forces place Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marvin Galapin on a stretcher during a simulated medical evacuation as part of Pacific Partnership 2014. Pacific Partnership is in its ninth iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera) While training in simulated crisis-conditions, Pacific Partnership missions to date have provided real-world medical care to approximately 250,000 patients, veterinary services to more than 37,000 animals, accomplished more than 170 engineering projects, and enabled critical infrastructure development in Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.