United States hospital ships: a proposal for their use in humanitarian missions

Article Abstract:

The US Navy's two hospital ships could be used for humanitarian missions to developing countries or during multinational peacekeeping efforts. The US naval ships Mercy and Comfort are converted supertankers. They each have 500 beds for acute care, a 50-bed receiving area and 500 limited-care beds. They are equipped with 12 operating rooms and medical equipment that includes computed tomography scanners. Using the ships for humanitarian purposes would benefit not only the countries visited but also the medical personnel involved in the effort. Such missions would provide good training for active and reserve medical corps personnel. There are some problems in providing access to the ships. During wartime, helicopters ferry patients to the ships. Boarding the ship from a pier or a boat involves climbing a steep staircase. Also, the depth and size of the ships limits the ports where they can dock.

Health aspects, Services, Social policy, International relief, United States. Navy, Hospital-ships, Hospital ships

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Medical supplies donated to hospitals in Bosnia and Croatia, 1994-1995: report of a survey evaluating humanitarian aid in war

Article Abstract:

A survey of 44 hospital representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina found that 62% cited a lack of medical supplies. Drugs in the shortest supply included antibiotics, pain-killers and heart medicine. Most of the hospitals were heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, which was supplied by such organizations as the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Ninety-three percent rated the supplies as appropriate and most had a good relationship with the donating agency.

Donations, Hospitals, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Medical supplies

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Exhumation of mass graves in Iraq: considerations for forensic investigations, humanitarian needs, and the demands of justice

Article Abstract:

Iraqis will need extensive technical assistance to help them recover family members who may have been murdered and buried in mass graves. An estimated 290,000 Iraqis disappeared during the reign of Saddam Hussein, and most are believed to be buried in dozens of mass graves stretching from Kirkuk in the north to Basrah in the south. Exhuming bodies may be a low priority but it may help many families and may also lead to prosecution of those responsible.

Legal issues & crime, Iraq, Crimes against, Medical jurisprudence, Forensic medicine, Iraqis, Exhumation

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