In Kosovo we had a Puma SOP for minefield rescues both day and night; this involved putting the medic on the wire with a medical kit & winching out at a safe height and then climbing to about 120'. This was relatively 'standard' during daylight ops but at night it involved some above average skillsets! The aircrew were on goggles but the poor bloody medic on the end of the wire 120' below the winch op was without goggles, being trawled at safe height (estimated by the medic and 'aircrew experience') to the vehicle where they would be placed onto the vehicle and then check the casualties. Therein we would send the doctor on the winch in the same fashion - that would have been interesting as we never practised with the doctors!!. I practised it and demonstrated it plenty of times and it certainly required lots of concentration and dare I say it - skill! The problem was we the crewmen, had to winch-train the medics on an ad hoc basis whenever we were in theatre - I don't think the medics realised just how dodgy all this was but they carried on regardless. Eventually SEF called a halt to the idea when some idiots decided to practise the idea in UK at night and made a complete 'horlicks' by dragging the poor naive bugger on the end of the wire across Abingdon airfield!!
In conclusion; the task is possible with the CORRECT crew composition but you really do need a winch fitted!!
I find it very strange that in Afghanistan the Chinook of all helicopters should not have had a winch fitted when in Belize (Puma) , Falklands and Kosovo (Puma) it was de rigeur?? wtf is that all about?