Abu Dhabi, September 10, 2026: Within five months of commencing its operations, ICATT RESPONSE PLUS –the specialized aeromedical venture of Response Plus Holding PJSC (ADX: RPM) has clocked close to 1,000 flying hours, supporting complex medical evacuation missions across 20 countries and five continents.
Operating from Abu Dhabi, UAE-based ICATT RESPONSE PLUS provides international aeromedical support for patients requiring complex or time-critical transfers between healthcare systems. The milestone highlights the UAE’s growing capabilities in specialized emergency medical response and its ability to extend continuity of critical care beyond borders.
ICATT RESPONSE PLUS operates within a broader UAE environment focused on strengthening emergency response across the care pathway. Its “bed-to-bed” medical evacuation model complements this approach by coordinating the patient journey from the referring hospital, through ground transportation and the aircraft, to the receiving healthcare facility.
The service is supported by a purpose-built first-of-its-kind in the UAE Challenger 605flying intensive care unit air ambulance, capable of non-stop missions of up to 7,400 kilometres. The aircraft enables critically ill patients to undertake long-distance transfers while receiving advanced medical care and continuous clinical monitoring throughout the journey.
This capability is particularly relevant for patients requiring specialist treatment unavailable locally, or those who need to move between healthcare systems while remaining under continuous clinical supervision.
The organisation has conducted more than 390 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiations and transfers, including the initiation of ECMO on a three-day-old infant. It has also undertaken the transfer of a one-and-a-half-month-old baby requiring nitric oxide and oscillatory ventilation support.
Such missions require expert clinical teams, advanced equipment and close coordination between referring and receiving hospitals. For neonatal and ECMO patients, maintaining continuity of advanced care throughout an international transfer can be extremely critical.
Dr Rohil Raghavan, Chairman of ICATT RESPONSE PLUS, said: Moving critically ill patients across borders requires far more than just transportation – it demands hospital-level care, clinical expertise, and seamless coordination throughout the journey. ICATT RESPONSE PLUS addresses this need by combining its proven aeromedical expertise, advanced flying intensive care capabilities and bed-to-bed medical coordination across the globe by our partners and aeromedical consultants Dr Rahul Singh Sardar and Dr Shalini Nalwad.”
ICATT RESPONSE PLUS also facilitates medical evacuation support for patients travelling from the GCC to destinations worldwide, with each mission planned around the patient’s clinical requirements, destination, aircraft configuration and applicable regulatory considerations.
Strengthening UAE’s emergency response ecosystem
ICATT RESPONSE PLUS’s development comes alongside wider efforts across the UAE to strengthen its emergency response ecosystem. The company’s capabilities extend beyond conventional patient transportation, with aeromedical teams experienced in managing highly complex patients during long-distance transfers.
ICATT RESPONSE PLUS extends this scale internationally, helping connect patients requiring complex transfers with emergency care beyond the UAE when necessary.