While the coronavirus affects more and more people in France, that stage 3 has been declared and that hospitals are finding it increasingly difficult to respond to the scale of patients who are flocking, Emmanuel Macron announced the exceptional creation of a “field hospital”. But what is it all about?
Recently, the government announced the deprogramming of all non-emergency operations, to free up places in intensive care in hospitals. In France, the number of intensive care beds is not very high: 5,500, or 3.1 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, against 28,000 in Germany, for example. Other countries are experiencing this equipment problem such as Italy, 2.6 beds per 1,000 inhabitants or Sweden, 2.1 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, according to the OECD Health at a Glance 2019. However, in the Covid-19 epidemic, they are essential insofar as the virus disrupts vital functions in some patients.
What will the field hospital be used for?
To make up for this lack, the Head of State announced on Monday March 16 that a field hospital would be deployed in the Grand Est region, where the number of coronavirus cases is particularly high. This means that the state is calling on the military to strengthen its medical system. This is also called a “military element of resuscitation” set up by the military health service.
Concretely, it is in fact a temporary care establishment, set up in a tent, which will in this case have a capacity of 30 resuscitation beds. It will be managed by medical staff dedicated to the army, to relieve the already over-mobilized hospital staff.
Where do the field hospitals come from?
Originally, field hospitals were born in war zones, not far from the battlefields. The objective was to have a care structure available immediately, to reduce the time taken to take care of the injured and increase their chances of survival. This is also the reason why this unit will be installed in an area heavily affected by the virus.
In addition, another module was announced: the “Morphée” device which consists of an evacuation plan for Covid-19 patients in metropolitan France and overseas. This module provides for transporting intensive care patients by plane. The President did not provide information on the duration of the field hospital, nor did it specify whether other structures of this type would be set up elsewhere in France.
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