The US Strengthens Dominica’s Disaster Response through Medical Field Hospital and Training

The United States donated a field hospital valued at approximately US$640,000 to the Government of Dominica. This week, as a part of the donation, the U.S. manufacturer of the field hospital is training personnel from Dominica’s Ministry of Health, the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), the Dominica Fire and Ambulance Service, and the Dominica Cadet Corps on the setup and use of the field hospital at the Dominica Botanic Gardens.

The hospital was purchased by U.S. Southern Command through the Humanitarian Assistance Program. The field hospital includes five medical tents and one administration tent that can be connected, a 70 KVA generator, an air conditioning system, sinks, a water purification and distribution system, and 40 hospital beds.

“The field hospital will provide additional capacity to Dominica’s health system in the event of a natural disaster and is part of the U.S. government’s ongoing assistance to nations responding to the pandemic,” said U.S. Embassy Bridgetown’s Chief of Security Cooperation, Lt Col Shane Moran.

“This initiative is in-keeping with the ODM’s goal to integrate Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in our key sectors. The Health Sector will benefit tremendously from this donation as it provides redundancy and additional capacity to our health infrastructure. We are grateful to the US Government for this generous donation, and to the instructor and participants of this training programme,” commented the National Disaster Coordinator, Mr. Fitzroy Pascal.

Twenty-three (23) participants benefitted from this training programme. “The workshop is a great programme. After the instructor leaves, the onus is on us to setup and maintain the facility. We are grateful for this training, it is interesting, fun and we are learning a lot,” remarked participant Station Officer of the Dominica Fire and Ambulance Service, Mr. Matthew Prosper.

This donation builds on the longstanding partnership between the United States and Dominica. Through regional workshops, best practice exchanges, and the ongoing construction of emergency operations centers and disaster relief warehouses in Castle Bruce and Portsmouth, the United States is committed to Dominica’s hurricane preparedness and supporting a coordinated emergency response.

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