The Internal Security Force (ISF) Lekhwiya has acquired a new ‘mobile field hospital’ - a Karwa urban bus-turned medical ambulance for treating victims during large-scale emergencies.
The mobile field hospital
The vehicle, the first of its kind in the country and the region, is designed to provide mass casualty incident response and transport, medical evacuations, on-site triage, Emergency Medical Services rehabilitation and medical support.
“Having this medical bus on hand for large scale emergencies can be a tremendous resource,” Dr Mootaz Mahmoud, medical director at Lekhwiya said yesterday on the occasion of the handing over of the new vehicle at Mowasalat headquarters.
The Mobile Hospital is a collaborative effort made possible by experts who work for the ISF, its medical rescue services and Mowasalat (Karwa).
The 12m long bus comes equipped with stretchers and can accommodate eight patients and medical personnel for transport. The mobile hospital has seven treatment areas including beds for the seriously injured, a first aid couch for treating people with minor injuries and a fully-equipped mobile treatment room when there is a need to treat people at the scene or transport them to hospitals.
“In our continuous search for providing various transport solutions not only to the country but across the globe, Mowasalat in co-operation with Lekhwiya have developed this high-end medical bus. Our experience gives us unique advantage as we understand how to build world-class buses,” said Ahmed al-Mansoori, executive director of Mowasalat.
He added that great care was taken by both Mowasalat and Lekhwiya to ensure sensitive medical equipment is properly mounted and installed in positions convenient to doctors and medical personnel on-board.
Nasser al-Khanji, strategy and business development director of Mowasalat, said that the bus includes: a vital signs monitor with central monitoring system, infusion pump, breathing apparatus such as centralised oxygen and air supply, independent vacuum and ventilation and a mobile nebuliser. The vehicle is also equipped with ultrasound, wireless mobile X-ray imaging device, cardiac defibrillators, and a wireless ECG machine.
The bus also has an examination couch and orthopaedic operating table with surgical lamp for minor operations.
Lieutenant colonel Fahd al-Madid, representative of ISF, said that Mowasalat was chosen to take over the project because of their high standards, reasonable prices and flexible business transactions.
Other special features include an ENT diagnostic portable set, urine analyser and other laboratory testing devices for the medical personnel working on-board.
