Title: Hospitals and war: medical departments and personnel

Authors: Georg Schmidt; Elisabeth Schmidt

Addresses: Alfred Nobel Open Business School, Unit 706, 7/F South Seas Centre, Tower 2, 75 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong ' Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital St. Poelten, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, St. Poelten, Austria

Abstract: Healthcare facilities in times of armed conflict are not always able to deliver the full range of medical services. Various factors influence the functioning of health institutions within war zones. The major constraints are represented by a lack of skilled personnel, an improper infrastructure, the absence of the private medical equipment sector and a lack of medical consumables. Subsequently, healthcare facilities are forced to reduce their service and to focus on the most urgent medical needs. This study discusses the minimum requirements for: the hospital infrastructure, the security of healthcare facilities, medical departments and personnel. This article highlights that even when a healthcare facility is operating on reduced capacity, skilled personnel is essential. Moreover, electricity, water and a safe environment is crucial to keep the healthcare facility operating. In some cases, a new established field hospital is more efficient compared to an inadequate operating facility.

Keywords: armed conflict; healthcare staff; medical departments; safety; protection; healthcare facilities; medical services; war zones; hospital infrastructure; field hospitals; medical personnel; operating facilities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBHR.2016.081072

International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 2016 Vol.6 No.1, pp.1 - 14

Received: 06 Jul 2016
Accepted: 13 Sep 2016
Published online: 19 Dec 2016 *

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