PAHO/WHO Guidelines for the Use of Foreign Field Hospitals; 2003

In the Aftermath of Sudden-Impact Disasters

Natural and complex disasters can cause a dramatic increase in the demand for emergency medical care. Local health services can be overwhelmed, and damage to clinics and hospitals can render them useless. Unfortunately, experience has shown that in the case of natural disasters field hospitals often have not met the expectations of recipients and donor institutions.

In July 2003, the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization sponsored the workshop "Hospitals in Disasters--Handle with Care." One of the subjects discussed was the pros and cons of using foreign field hospitals in the aftermath of natural disasters. These guidelines are part of the result of that working meeting.

This book can be ordered from PAHO's Emergency Preparedness Area (disaster-publications@paho.org), or can be downloaded as PDF file. You need to have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files. It can be obtained free of charge from the Adobe Website.