Comparison between Defence Healthcare Engagement and humanitarian assistance

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Falconer Hall ◽  
S Horne ◽  
D Ross
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Of Suffering ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Building Stability

Humanitarian assistance and Defence Healthcare Engagement have traditionally both been taught on the Medical Humanitarian Stabilisation Operations Course. However, the two activities are distinct. This paper outlines the critical differences between them, focusing on their specific purposes, scope, timescales and ethics. Humanitarian assistance will remain a distinct activity with a focus on the relief of suffering, guided by international norms, while Defence Healthcare Engagement will encompass a broader range of activities, less constrained by internationally agreed principles. This presents an opportunity for the Defence Medical Services to directly contribute to projecting UK influence, preventing conflict and building stability. However, it requires the Defence Medical Services to take responsibility for the ethical issues that Defence Healthcare Engagement raises. This paper recommends the development of an ethical framework that reconciles the strategic aims of Defence Healthcare Engagement with maximising patient welfare at the tactical level. This is a paper commissioned as a part of the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.

Protecting the health of responders: Team Health

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001498
Author(s):  
David Ross
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Personal View ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Three Phases

The rise in humanitarian disasters has led to more volunteers responding to deploy with humanitarian organisations. Those organisations that use these volunteers have a responsibility for the health of these teams of workers. This personal view outlines the three phases of ‘Team Health’—prepare, sustain and recover. This is a paper commissioned as a part of the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.

Bioethics in humanitarian disaster relief operations: a military perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2021-001927
Author(s):  
James Davies ◽  
A Brockie ◽  
J Breeze
Keyword(s):  
Military Personnel ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Military Perspective ◽  
The Military

The ethical dilemmas faced every day by military personnel working within the NHS will potentially be very different to ones that will be faced in the wake of a humanitarian disaster. Allied to this the potentially differing objectives from military personnel when compared with other healthcare workers in these scenarios and a conflict of ethics could arise.Within this paper, the fundamentals of this conflict will be explored and how working within the military framework can affect clinical decisions. This is a paper commissioned as a part of the humanitarian and disaster relief operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.

China’s response to the 2014–2016 Ebola crisis: Enhancing Africa’s soft security under Sino-US competition

2020 ◽  
pp. 0920203X2097854
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre Cabestan
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Strategic Competition ◽  
International Response ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Military Teams

The 2014–16 Ebola crisis in West Africa was China’s very first opportunity to demonstrate its willingness and ability to play a meaningful role in addressing public health emergencies of international concern. China’s decision to participate in the international response to the outbreak was part of an ambition to enhance its contribution to Africa’s security in general and health security in particular and to exert more influence on global norms. The specific role played by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), especially its Academy of Military Medical Sciences, in Sierra Leone and Liberia is part of an ongoing effort to increase China’s involvement in international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. It was the first time that it sent medical military teams to set up and operate infectious disease hospitals overseas. This participation also underscores the PLA’s crucial role in fighting epidemics overseas as well as at home, as the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates. The Ebola crisis enables us to explore aspects of the PLA’s overseas missions, some of which are humanitarian and others which generally enhance China’s influence as a great power in Africa and in the world in the context of a growing Sino-US strategic competition.

Landpower and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief

2019 ◽  
pp. 271-288
Author(s):  
Charles Luke ◽  
Chris Bowers ◽  
Alex Willard
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Strategic Value ◽  
Agency For International Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Relief Operations

This chapter discusses the strategic value of landpower in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) operations. When disasters occur that are significant enough to derail/delay political agendas, the US government depends on landpower's unique capabilities to support the lead federal agency, the US Agency for International Development. The authors use three disaster relief operations case studies (the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia, and the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines) to illuminate the Army's core roles in HA/DR success. Lastly, the chapter discusses the secondary benefits of successful HA/DR operations like enhancing interoperability among joint, interagency, and multinational partners, assuring partners and allies, and reinforcing the strategic narrative of US power.

scholarly journals The Multi-Role Support Ship for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Buxton ◽  
Wade Carson
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Operational Flexibility ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Ship Owner ◽  
Maritime Operations ◽  
Relief Operations

The paper examines the contemporary multi-role platform as an increasingly sought-after national capability and discusses how this ship-type, if designed and outfitted appropriately, can provide a range of capabilities to address the constantly evolving nature of naval doctrine and maritime operations. The motivations that drive acquisition decision makers to consider this type of capability are examined, namely: operational flexibility, doctrinal relevance and affordability. An examination of the pitfalls of acquiring a multi-role platform is also presented and discussed. An overview of how modern design techniques can be applied to ensure the ship owner is provided a range of options that are easily tailored to their unique combination of requirements follows. The paper concludes by presenting a typical modern multi-role vessel within the context of a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario to illustrate the utility of these vessels as an effective response capability in a non-combatant role.

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