nd yet unquestionably necessary expense. Human lives are at stake, so logistics efficiency and timeliness is deeply vital.
However, those aspects of disaster response can require quite the cost. Several studies have estimated that around 80 percent of disaster response funds are spent on logistics, making this area one of the most expensive aspects of disaster response. Logistics efficiency or lack thereof makes a dramatic difference in not only the cost of responding to a disaster event, but also in the aid organization’s ability to provide augmented or additional help.
When planning logistics for a relief effort, the field hospital should be capable of supplying two features that are important for efficient disaster response:
Portability: It’s often very difficult to predict the comprehensive need for victims of a disaster, so response facilities must be adaptable to provide the most effectual support. A portable field hospital is ideal, since it can be easily relocated to areas of the greatest need, thus reducing lead times and ensuring more timely care for victims.
Versatility: Disasters almost never result in a single event or issue; there are usually consequential events that require emergency response or resources, and field hospitals need to be versatile in order to address them sufficiently. With buildings that can be easily moved or adjusted, rapid access to additional or new resources (such as medicine, special machines, or personnel), and systems that can be flexible to their environment, versatile field hospitals can be most effective.
Fast and Effective Front-Line Deployment in Difficult Situations
According to the World Health Organization, a field hospital responding to disaster needs to be operational within 24 hours of the event, have sufficient services to meet medical needs, and offer technology that can be operated by national health personnel.
- Is compact in size
- Is rapidly deployable
- Works self-sufficiently
- Can be easily transported to remote, isolated areas and regions
- Can be human transported (transported by bicycle, motorcycle, inflatable boat etc)
- Provides secure accommodation and storage for technicians / relief workers etc
- Can be operated in clusters during mass casualty situations
- Is versatile
- Is extremely low cost