Standardization of Field Hospitals to Enhance Epidemic Response Capabilities
Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence Discusses Flexible Regulation for Organization and Scale of Infectious Disease Field Hospitals
The Military Medical Department (Ministry of National Defence) organized a workshop to consult experts and military unit leaders on finalizing the Draft Regulation concerning the functions, tasks, organization, and staffing of the Infectious Disease Field Hospital (IDFH), which operates as a concurrent duty.
Urgency and Practical Experience:
The IDFH model is considered an essential medical solution for responding to military and civilian emergencies, especially against the challenge of non-traditional security and dangerous, rapidly spreading infectious epidemics. This model was developed since the 2003 SARS epidemic and was extensively utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12 field hospitals ranging from 150 to 1,000 beds.
However, practical experience revealed several shortcomings in force organization, bed capacity, service ratio, department structure, deployment location, and material equipment.
Objective of the New Draft Regulation:
The Draft Regulation, developed by the Military Medical Department, aims to standardize and enhance response capabilities. The draft clearly specifies the function, scale, command structure, agency, and system of specialized departments corresponding to each IDFH model.
Proposals raised during the workshop focused on:
-
Staffing Increase: Supplementing the total staff allocation to ensure operational capacity and quality of treatment.
-
Flexible Structure: Building a flexible organizational structure adaptable to all epidemic levels and situations.
-
Training and Drills: Organizing regular training, drills, and exercises for IDFH deployment.
-
Operational Factors: Submitting proposals regarding deployment locations, isolation methods, and waste disposal for infection control, as well as operational funding.
Conclusion and Next Steps:
The Director of the Military Medical Department acknowledged the discussions and requested the department to incorporate the contributed opinions. The Military Medical Department will continue to revise the Draft to suit practical deployment within the Army. Once finalized and promulgated, the Regulation will serve as a crucial legal basis for hospitals to train, invest, drill, and be ready to deploy IDFHs in all situations.
