A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital or MASH), but it has also been used to describe alternate care sites used in disasters and other emergency situations.
44-653: The Ostrovo Unit was a Field hospital unit with Transport Column of the Scottish Women's Hospitals . It comprised approximately 200 beds and was situated near Lake Ostrovo , Macedonia during the First World War under the command of the Serbian Army . It was often called The America Unit as the money to fund it came from America and except for a few dressing stations, it was the Allied hospital nearest
88-621: A mountain range situated on the border between Greece and North Macedonia . It separates the Pella regional unit on the Greek side in the south from the Mariovo region on the North Macedonia side in the north. The tallest peak in the range is Kaimakchalan at 2,524 m (8,281 ft). Adjacent peaks are Starkov grob (1,876 m) and Dobro Pole (1,700 m). The mountain range hosts
132-556: 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 . Field hospitals in France are managed by the SAMU (French emergency medical service ). Two types of mobile medical kits ( poste sanitaire mobile or PSM) are used: The PSM are stored in
176-564: A Field Hospital and a numbered General Hospital are all field hospitals—but a MASH, CSH, a General Hospital or a Field Hospital are not interchangeable. In the United States Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), the counterpart to the Army's "field hospital" is known as an "Expeditionary Medical Facility" (EMF). The EMF is principally focused on support to Marines during expeditionary amphibious operations ashore,
220-669: A doctor in Australia until mid-1916. This was when her fiancé Sergeant Colin Thomson, who had survived Gallipoli, was deployed to the Western Front. De Garis's anxiety for him saw her travel to London, arriving on 14 July 1916, to take a role at the Manor War Hospital , as a means to be closer to him. However, soon after arriving, Thomson's postcards stopped and De Garis received the news that he had died on 4 August, at
264-473: A green sward in the hollow of the hills which rose on every side; close by was a clump of ancient elm-trees, the home of families of cawing rooks, and beyond the white tents of the hospital lay Lake Ostrovo." Miles Franklin wrote: "The royal sunlight on the purple hills! Blue as heaven, high and peaked like cats' teeth, they intensified a longing for the Blue Bogongs that was ten years poignant." Franklin
308-531: A half day free each week, and one full day per month. When they had free time, she would join the nurses for a swim in Lake Ostrovo, where she said they could be seen "dancing a spirited reel on the shores in their bathing tights". The Ostrovo hospital camp had issues with outbreaks of diseases, and illness. They had problems with sanitation as the tented camp was not sewered. The site also had many flies and wasps, and there were outbreaks of malaria, endemic to
352-605: A high temperature, they would immediately be administered with painful and dreaded intramuscular quinine injections, which was the most effective treatment at the time. Franklin described these as ‘bayonet charges’. After eight months at the Ostrovo unit, having performed 144 surgeries, Cooper's reoccurring bronchitis developed into pneumonia in August 1917. Cooper and Bedford departed for London, where Cooper would recuperate, before they returned home to Brisbane. They were both awarded
396-440: A medical assistance unit (DAMHo, détachement d'appui médical et d'hospitalisation ); the later is specialized in pre- and post-operation care, and allows 48h of hospitalization. The UIISC also has a PMA (i.e. sort, stabilization and evacuation structure) when the hospital infrastructure of the country is sufficient. The Namibian Defence Force operates a mobile field hospital through its Defence Health Services Directorate. It
440-614: 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
484-516: 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 first aid post , with only volunteer certified first responders and no medical staff, is set up.) The civil defence military units ( Unité d'instruction et d'intervention de la sécurité civile , UIISC ) have airborne field hospitals. The general system
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#1732772098790528-474: A troop transport carrying 3000 men, with only two other women, destined for Salonika. Once in Salonika she travelled to Ostrovo on a drive that she would describe as "the roughest journey I ever underwent". Working first as a cook then as an Matron's orderly, she was in charge of the stores of linen, bedding, clothing, and dressings. She said the work was hard physical labour, and they worked long hours, with only
572-451: Is called DICA ( détachement d'intervention de catastrophe aéroporté , i.e. airborne disaster unit), and is specialized in search-and-rescue and in emergency medicine; it can be enhanced by the Fast civil defence medical unit, called ESCRIM ( élément de sécurité civile rapide d'intervention médicale ). The ESCRIM is a surgical unit ( detachement d'appui chirurgical ) assisted by
616-479: Is under the responsibility of a physician chosen by the director of medical rescue (DSM), and he is assisted by a firefighter officer chosen by the commander of rescue operation (COS). The firefighter officer has in charge the identification of the living casualties and of the secretaryship. The aim of the PMA is to sort and stabilize the casualties before their evacuation to a hospital. A similar system can be set up as
660-429: The 10th Field Hospital have specific tables of organization and equipment, capabilities, and doctrine for their employment, all of which have varied over time. Readers should take care not to confuse the generic American field hospital with a specific numbered XXth Field Hospital, as the two cannot be used interchangeably. An Evacuation Hospital, a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), a Combat support hospital (CSH),
704-925: The Battle of Passchendaele . Deep in grief, she boarded the troopship HMAT Wiltshire to return to Australia. De Garis took over the Ostrovo unit as the Chief Medical Officer. Bennett was awarded a Serbian Order of St. Sava third class for her contributions as the Chief Medical Officer of the Ostrovo Unit in The SWH. Franklin worked for 6 months, until the end of her contract in February 1918. De Garis would stay as CMO for another year. In that time she, like most SWH staff, would suffer through bouts of serious sickness including typhoid, dysentery, and malaria. However, she remained an effective leader. She
748-578: The COVID-19 pandemic the hospital was deployed to Hosea Kutako International Airport to aid the country's response. In the United States Army Medical Department , the term "field hospital" is used as a generic term for a deployable medical facility. However, from 1906 to the present, with small interruptions, the department has had specific organized units called "Field Hospitals." These numbered units, for example
792-518: The Great Retreat , and were recruiting more staff. Bennett had just been working in an infectious diseases hospital in Cairo, and was looking for another role to assist the war effort. Inglis tasked her with establishing a new SWH unit to be deployed to Greece where she would lead as the Chief Medical Officer. Bennett travelled to Scotland to recruit 55 staff members and organise supplies, including
836-537: The Order of St Sava , Cooper a 4th Class, and Bedford a 5th class, for their service in the unit. The next month Bennett caught malaria while at the Dobroveni dressing station. She became very unwell, and when the ambulance returned to the main camp, her colleagues were shocked at how ill she was. So, after 16 months she had to resign due to ill-health. She returned to Egypt, where she learned of her brother Bob's death at
880-532: The Marine Corps having no medical personnel of their own and relying on the Navy for medical support. EMFs will also support Navy Construction Battalions ( SeaBees ) ashore. While the Navy has a small number of dedicated hospital ships and larger combatant vessels such as aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious assault ships have robust medical facilities, the utility of those afloat platforms decreases
924-499: The Ostrovo unit, and in her first month she alleviated Cooper from her rotation shift at Dobraveni. She was tasked with supervising the dressing station's camp reassembly after a recent move. De Garis found the constant air raids added a 'spice of excitement' to life, and the trenches, or 'funk holes' provided effective shelter. After the Australian Army had refused her application to serve in 1915, De Garis had stayed working as
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#1732772098790968-470: The SWH with pleasure. Practical experience has convinced me that women run things very well, making me a more ardent feminist than ever.” De Garis was awarded a third class Order of St. Sava medal for her service. Following De Garis's resignation, Dr. Isobel Emslie became the third and final Chief Medical Officer, who led the unit to the end of the war. In Dr Isobel Emslie's words: "The spirit of this unit
1012-851: The Sector-2 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The hospital was an initiative of Captain Akhtar Ahmed, who was a physician of 4th East Bengal Regiment in Comilla Cantonment. It was situated in Tripura , India . During the COVID-19 pandemic , the young physician Dr. Bidduth Barua established Chattogram Field Hospita l which is the first post-liberation field hospital in Bangladesh to provide medical services to COVID-19 patients of Covid-19. On April 21 2020 ,
1056-478: The ambulance fleet, becoming the Chief Transport Officer. Bedford’s ability to source spare parts for the fleet of 12 converted T-model Ford ambulances led to her the nickname ‘Miss Spare Parts’. Cooper herself had a habit of using foul language when stressed, which Bennett disapproved of, however, she appreciated the work both Cooper and Bedford put into the unit. Cooper was a skilled surgeon, who
1100-486: The area, spread by mosquitos. Bennett, and De Garis, and the staff had to pay careful attention to establishing and maintaining hygienic latrines and urinals so that outbreaks of diseases such as dysentery and infection diarrhoea were minimised. They took care to regularly fill latrines, taking note of previous locations. De Garis attempted to address the issues with malaria by ordering a nearby swamp to be drained. The staff covered up and put up mosquito nets. If anyone recorded
1144-556: The battle at Pozieres . In the following months, she channelled her grief into taking action, resigning from the Manor War Hospital, and applying to the SWH. In December 2016, her application was accepted, and she was appointed as Bennett's second in command. Australian novelist, Stella Miles Franklin joined the unit in July 1917. On her journey from London, she travelled through Paris, Turin, Rome, and Taranto, before boarding
1188-461: The battlefield. Dr Bennett wrote of the girls' courage during bombardment. However malaria and dysentery took such a toll on the staff that the station was closed in September 1917. On 30 September 1918 the unit received news of the armistice with Bulgaria and on the morning of 23 October the unit started for northern Serbia with a convoy of nine vehicles on a 311 kilometre trek. All the staff made
1232-482: The fighting 25 km away, it took the Ambulances three to four hours to travel via narrow mule tracks, over rough terrain. This was too long for some of the wounded who died on the journey. So in late 1916, Bennett received permission from the local Serbian commander to open a dressing station, a small tent hospital of 25 beds, at Dobraveni, closer to the fighting, where their staff would be rotated every 6 weeks, due to
1276-520: The first day that they took 24 cases: "all terribly bad wounds - abdominal, chest, head and compound fractures". On 25 September she wrote: "We now have 160 cases, all bad and it is terribly hard work." During the first eight weeks the America Unit admitted 425 cases of whom sixty died. The unit was approximately ninety miles west of Salonika and was in a beautiful location. According to its third CMO Dr Isobel Emslie : "It lay quite by itself on
1320-490: The fleet of model-T Fords which were to be converted to Ambulances for an attached transport column, initially commanded by English suffragist Katherine Harley . Bennett took discipline seriously, and she was concerned by the behaviour of the women in Harley's unit who she felt were unruly, After three months the transport column was also placed under her authority. Initially they planned to be based in Salonika, however on arrival
1364-613: The front. Dr Agnes Elizabeth Lloyd Bennett , an Australian, New Zealand doctor had travelled to London in May 1916, and met with Elsie Inglis at the Lyceum club. They knew each other because Inglis has been the dean of the College of Medicine for Women at the University of Edinburgh while Bennett was completing her studies there. Inglis and the SWH were recuperating and regrouping after
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1408-724: The further inland that the Marines progress. A smaller and more mobile version of the EMF is the Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU). During the COVID-19 pandemic , the Swiss Armed Forces were mobilised to support civil hospitals in Switzerland. Similar measures were taken in other countries. Bangladesh Field Hospital (Popularly known as Bangladesh Hospital ) was a temporary medical centre under
1452-670: The hospital officially started medical services.. A team of doctors, nurses and Young Volunteer are providing services in this hospital under the leadership of Dr. Bidduth Barua. Originally complete with Covid-19 patients In addition to providing free services, other patients are also being served here. Although fever, cold, sneeze and cough are predominant in patients, any patient can avail free services from here. [REDACTED] Media related to Field hospitals at Wikimedia Commons Voras Mountains The Voras Mountains ( Greek : Όρος Βόρας ; also Boras ), also known as Nidže ( Macedonian : Ниџе , Turkish : Nice Dağı ) are
1496-404: The hospitals where there are samus and smurs . The PMA is organized in four zones: 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 red plan , the PMA
1540-450: The intensity of the work, and the freezing conditions. The site was in the foothills of Voras Mountains , and was desolate, treeless and windy. British masseuse and trained physical instructor, Olive Smith who had joined the unit with Dr Bennett from the start, and worked in the operating theatre and reception, died of malaria on 6 October 1916. In February 2017 a new recruit, Australian doctor Mary De Garis from Melbourne, arrived at
1584-468: The plan changed due to the fighting front shifting to Macedonia. So the unit ended up being based close to the front line, in the hills at Lake Ostrovo . The unit opened in September 1916 soon after the Battle of Malka Nidzhe (Gornichevo ridge). Gornichevo ridge formed the twin summits of Kaimaktsalan , 7,700 and 8,200 feet above sea level. This ridge had to be captured before Monastir ( Bitola on modern British maps) could be re-taken. Bennett recorded on
1628-433: 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
1672-652: The trip and the unit set up in an abandoned army barracks in Vranje . The unit was in operation until October 1919. Fifty two of the members of the Vranje Unit were decorated with the Royal Red Cross and several also received the Order of Saint Sava . Field hospital 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
1716-524: The unit while being based at Salonika. Australian doctor Lilian Violet Cooper , who was born in Britain, but had spent the last 25 years living in Queensland, travelled to Europe to volunteer with the SWH with her long-term companion Mary Josephine Bedford , arriving at the Ostrovo unit in September 1916. Cooper was the third surgeon to join the unit, and Bedford, who had mechanical knowledge, managed
1760-510: Was a strict disciplinarian, but fair according to her staff, who saw her as their “guide, philosopher and friend’. She continued to experience deep mourning for Thomson, and this was compounded in June 1918 when her mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Missing her family, she resigned as CMO in September 1918. She said of her time in Macedonia: “I shall always remember my association with
1804-539: Was a very pleasant one; the big, happy family of women was so entirely thrown on its own resources that it formed a very united body. Most of the sisters had been so much with the Serbians that they had learnt the language and were thoroughly in sympathy with them. Ours was a Serbian Army hospital, and we took our orders directly from Army Headquarters." At the advanced dressing station established three hours drive further up Kaimaktsalan he unit took casualties direct from
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1848-769: Was donated by the German government to Namibia in March 2013. Initially it was a UN level two hospital but has now been upgraded to level one. The field hospital is containerized in tents, it has capacity to treat forty outpatients per day and has an admission capacity of twenty patients. It has two intensive care units, laboratories, an X-ray unit and a mobile oxygen concentrator. 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
1892-549: Was inspired to write a story, By Far Kaimaktchalan and a piece entitled Somewhere in the Balkans but finished neither. Ne Mari Nishta (It matters nothing) remains her only finished account of her time there. She left in February 1918. The America Unit was the unit of the Scottish Women's Hospitals in which at least ten Australian women served. Other Australians served in a similar unit near Salonika. The Anglo-Irish medical physicist Edith Anne Stoney provided x-ray support to
1936-405: Was popular in the unit, especially with the young ambulance drivers, as she encouraged their new found freedom to wear trousers, cut their hair short, and take up smoking. These freedoms alleviated the difficulty of their work, transporting seriously wounded and dying patients along very rough and rocky trails, fixing the ambulances when broken down, or getting them un-bogged from deep potholes. With
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