Preparations for the operation of the Barbados Defence Force’s (BDF) Field Medical Facility (FMF), which is presently in camp in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, are now in high gear.
The facility is expected to receive its first set of patients over a three-day period beginning tomorrow, Monday, June 17, at the Biabou Playing Field, where it is expected to take part in Phase 2 of Exercise Tradewinds 2019 (EX TW19).
The facility’s team comprises military and para-military personnel, doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, civilian volunteers and other resource personnel of the BDF.
The FMF is also made up of a pharmacy, and obstetrics/gynaecology, sterilization, discharge, triage, treatment and shock areas.
It also has signals/communications and public relations units, accommodation for resource personnel, a field kitchen and dining area, and logistics and field bathroom facilities.
Participation at EX TW19 will facilitate a pretest for the FMF, led by BDFs Medical Officer, Major Dr. V. Renee Best, to assess its state of readiness, as it pursues Level One accreditation by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), as part of the Regional Response Mechanism.
A Level One Field Medical Facility allows for the initiation of a mobile hospital to treat patients on an outpatient basis between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., following the impact of a natural hazard.
The exercise will also allow officials to assess the FMF’s capacity to function as part of the Regional Response Mechanism. (BDF Field Medical Facility)