CHF-DMA-0489-110 “Providing mass casualty incident response with air lifting capacity” – 2,216,024$

The deepening humanitarian crisis in Somalia is demanding greater humanitarian intervention; which is limited due to access and medical support restrictions. Continuing insecurity hampers United Nations operations in Somalia by limiting freedom of movement for United Nations staff and contractors. Efforts to increase the humanitarian footprint increase risk to traumatic injury due to targeted attacks or accidental injury.

An extensive analysis of the capacity available to humanitarian staff identified critical gaps; these gaps weighed against the risk presented highlights an urgent need to improve medical support to humanitarian staff. This proposal clearly justifies the need to improve emergency medical support available to humanitarian staff and advocates a two-pronged approach aimed at addressing the immediate needs (employing emergency medical professionals through a commercial service provider and equipping trauma stabilization centers based in UN compounds all integrated with the services of a dedicated aircraft capability) and a longer term sustainable solution of developing the capacity of national medical facilities. It is hoped this will improve humanitarian access and provide in the longer term improved medical treatment to the Somali population.

The operational concept of the project is to base an advanced life support paramedic in each of the 5 stabilization centers in Somalia (Hargeisa, Bossasso, Garowe, Galkayo and most probably Berbera (to be confirmed by UN Security Management Team) and one emergency physician providing technical backup based in Hargeisa forming a medical emergency response team. In the event of an accident or injury, humanitarian staff will receive advanced life support treatment in the stabilization centre in a secure environment within the UN compound. The stabilization centers will be able to stabilize up to 10 mildly/moderately injured casualties and provide stabilization for a severely injured casualty for up to 18 hours. This emergency medical response capacity will be highly mobile and be able to respond to emergencies in Somalia within an acceptable time frame. Due to the access restrictions (security and infrastructure) and time constraints of medical emergency assistance, a dedicated aircraft is a paramount part of the project.

This project will involve placement of a flight paramedic at each of the main hubs of Hargeisa, Bossasso, Garowe, Galkayo and possibly Berberra with a floating medical officer based in Hargeisa that will be responsible for technical support and quality assurance.