Field hospital
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A field hospital is a temporary
A field hospital is a medical staff with a mobile medical kit and, often, a wide tent-like shelter (at times an inflatable structure in modern usage) so that it can be readily set up near the source of casualties. In an urban environment, the field hospital is often established in an easily accessible and highly visible building (such as restaurants, schools, hotels and so on). In the case of an airborne structure, the mobile medical kit is often placed in a normalized container; the container itself is then used as shelter. A field hospital is generally larger than a temporary aid station but smaller than a permanent military hospital.
International humanitarian law such as the Geneva Conventions include prohibitions on attacking doctors, ambulances, hospital ships, or field hospitals buildings displaying a Red Cross, a Red Crescent or other emblem related to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement; deliberately attacking or otherwise causing harm on these health facilities (especially during warfare or armed conflicts) may constitute a war crime.
Field hospitals are also prevalent in the event of disease outbreaks and pandemics. The most recent pandemic, COVID-19, has led to the establishment of field hospitals in many parts of the world, especially in the developing world.
By country
France
Field hospitals in
- The level one mobile medical kit (PSM1): it can handle 25 heavy casualties on any type of ground; it is made of about 400 kg of equipment and drugs placed in 10 tanks, with also logistic equipment (trailer, inflatable tent, lighting, generating unit); there are 42 PSM1 in France;
- The level two mobile medical kit (PSM2): it can handle resuscitation care for 500 patients; it is made of 8 tons of equipment and drugs (200 references) in 150 tanks, it can be divided ( is possible to set up several sub-fracedPSM2); in addition to the usual logistic equipment of the PSM1, the PSM2 has a tactical radio network and a management computer system. There are 21 PSM2 in France.
The PSM are stored in the hospitals where there are
The PMA is organized in four zones:
- a reception and triage zone, under the responsibility of a sort physician; the casualties are sorted and dispatched according to the seriousness of their state;
- two zones for medical care:
- Absolute emergencies zone (UA: urgences absolues): prehospital resuscitation unit for very serious cases: extreme emergencies (EU: extrème urgence) and grave injuries (U1);
- Relative emergencies zone (UR: urgences relatives): for the serious (U2) and light injured (U3)
- Mortuary zone (dépot mortuaire) for the deceased casualties. This zone is under the responsibility of the judicial police.
In case of really massive disaster, it is possible to have several PMA; the evacuation goes then not directly to a hospital, but to another big field hospital called "medical evacuation centre" (centre médical d'évacuation, CME), to avoid the saturation of the hospitals.
In case of a
A similar system can be set up as a preventive measure for some very big events (sport championship, cultural events, concert...), but managed by first aid associations. It is then called an "associative medical post" (poste associatif médicalisé, PAM). (For smaller events, is simple
The civil defence military units (Unité d'instruction et d'intervention de la sécurité civile,
Namibia
The
The dental department can treat 20 and four operations can be carried out daily. It has its own mobile logistics support wing consisting of kitchens, water purifiers, water tanks, toilet and shower containers, generators and sewage and refuse disposal facilities.During the COVID-19 pandemic the hospital was deployed to Hosea Kutako International Airport to aid the country's response.[4]
United States
In the
In the
Switzerland
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss Armed Forces were mobilised to support civil hospitals in Switzerland. Similar measures were taken in other countries.
See also
References
- S2CID 71238828. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
Field hospitals were mobile, were sent to support the battle line—as was the 103d—and served in every capacity, from disease hospital to resuscitation center to acute care (with surgical reinforcement) to reserve and rest status. Their job was triage, stabilization, and evacuation to the base hospitals.
- ^ "In pictures: Field hospitals set up around world". BBC News. 30 March 2020.
- ^ "Namibia Defence Force gets German-made mobile field hospital". Mar 7, 2013. Retrieved Jun 7, 2020.
- ^ Namibian, The. "Mobile field hospital set up at airport". The Namibian. Retrieved Jun 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Serbu, Jared (27 March 2020). "Army Corps sees convention centers as good option to build temporary hospitals". Federal News Network. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020.
- ^ Field Manual 8-55, Planning for Health Service Support, United States Army, February 1985.
- ^ https://news.usni.org/2023/03/27/navy-medicine-sets-up-new-expeditionary-command-in-camp-lejeune[bare URL]
- This article incorporates public domain material from John T. Greenwood. Portable Surgical Hospitals. United States Army.
Further reading
- Clouston, Ann (2018). Centenary History of 201 Field Hospital. The Memoir Club.
External links
Media related to Field hospitals at Wikimedia Commons