Oman Adventure Sports

Duffers · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:15 pm Post subject: Emergency Medical Care/Treatment

A word of warning about how quick or slow the medical response is if you are unfortunate enough to have a spill in a remote area. It could be ages for you to get to safety.

For those who don't know or haven't heard, Dr Danni - our friendly chiropractor and climbing buddy took a bit of a tumble whilst out on one of the treks on Jebal Shams with some friends from Muscat Runners. It took 8 hours for a helo to get to her and then a bit longer to get her to the hospital at Nizwa.

She was lucky in that her injuries weren't that severe, when you compare them to say broken femur - 2 litres of blood in 2-3 hours into the leg and the outcome is pretty bleak. Saying that, everything that could be done was done by her friends - Make sure you have your own first aid kit and know how to use it.

Stay safe and see you out there

Gaz

TonyR · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:42 am Post subject: A good point..

A good point and well said, thank you for the heads up on that one, I for one, had presumed it would be much faster when I was there...

Tony.

husoon · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:20 am Post subject:

It took long time for help to reach, I thought it will take just 2 hrs as max to get her to hospital.

jane-gallwey · Rock Magnet Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Ireland

Just wondering what is the situation with an accident in the Jebel Misht area for example? Is there cell phone coverage? Nearby towns with phones? Or would investing in a satellite phone be a good idea? Is there even anyone to ring? We're all taking a wilderness/expedition first aid course before we leave, but is there any kind of heli-evac available or is it totally up to you to get back to a road?
Cheers,
Jane

Hamza · Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:27 am Post subject:

As far as know there is a throughout mobile phone coverage on Misht, for I remember receiving text messages on the wall and did call from the top. The area around Misht is quite populated and has a good road network. The emergency number in Oman is the ROP (Royal Oman Police) 9999. Use a GPS to communicate your exact position.
Most importantly is to realize that there is no such thing as qualified mountain rescuers in Oman with the standards and requirements and training, as in Chamonix for instance. So you have to be autonomous and knowledgeable about rescue and hauling techniques to get an injured person from the wall down to (or up to) to a flat area where "normal" rescuers can have access to.
Enjoy and be safe.