Chapter 10 - Field Hospital Logistics

Summary

According to the World Heath Organization's (WHO) EMT initiative, teams must meet an agreed set of standards, both clinically and logistically. EMTs must be self-sustainable and not create a burden on the already stretched resources of a host nation.

The technical demands of field hospitals require logistical personnel with specialist skills, which ensures a field hospital can continue to function when all around them has been destroyed. They must be multiskilled to fulfill multiple roles within the team.

A collection of tents does not constitute a field hospital: methodical planning around safety and security, patient flow, and overall functionality is a necessity. Field hospitals require large volumes of clean water that meets or exceeds the WHO standards of potable water; consequently, EMTs must understand the requirements of self sustainability, water quality, and quantities for the delivery of services they are offering. WASH requires an expertise and the capacity and capability to deliver high levels of WASH irrespective of the circumstances. Leading by example in health care to other health-care personnel and facilities is a essential criteria of an EMT: technical logistics is key to achieving this.