A Fixed Camp Facility:
- Deploy within 24 – 48 hours from point of origin for a minimum period of 14 days
- Has a central base of operations leadership / coordination team (this could be embedded within the fixed facility as required)
- Provides primary, emergency and maternal child health outpatient care
- Provides emergency resuscitation care (24 hours)
- Operational during daylight hours only
- Deploys with appropriate equipment and supplies
- Adhere to the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) guiding principles and core standards
World Health Organization description
The World Health Organization provides the following brief description and key characteristics of Type-1 Fixed Facility (2021):
Descriptor
- Outpatient initial care of injuries and other health care needs and referrals for ongoing investigation or care and community based primary care from a fixed location.
Services
- Triage, Assessment, First Aid
- Treatment of trauma and non-trauma emergencies
- Stabilization and referral of patients requiring inpatient services and higher level of care
- Primary health care for basic communicable and non-communicable diseases, basic reproductive health services
Key characteristics
- Use light deployable, adaptable facility structure
- Must be able to supply their own fixed outpatient facilities, such as tents or special equipped vehicles but can work from suitable existing structures if requested
Minimal benchmark indicators
- 100 outpatients / day
Opening hours
- Daytime outpatient services but on-call team available to provide life-saving care overnight for emergency cases
About the Fixed Camp Health Facility
NZMAT’s fixed health facility is a series of interconnecting sections for triage, primary care/emergency area, maternity, resuscitation, a 10-stretcher observation area, and a pharmacy. There is also storage, logistics and administrative command and control areas. It carries sufficient equipment and medical supplies to treat 1400 people in two weeks, including making its own drinking water from raw or salt water. It can be swiftly erected in 90 minutes and arranged in different configurations depending on the space available and needs. It is easy to transport and gives great flexibility for the team to respond to different emergencies in remote locations.
Transcript
This week at Trentham Military Camp, in Upper Hutt, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT) set up their medical facilities together for the first time.
The planning exercise, Exercise Kotahitanga, tested the organisations’ ability to respond together to the health impacts of a catastrophic event in Aotearoa New Zealand - such as the Alpine Fault or Hikurangi Trench rupturing.
The NZMAT fixed facility can treat up to 100 patients a day, while the mobile facility can reach remote areas and treat up to 50 people a day.
The NZDF facility, known as a ‘Role 2’, can be set up in a matter of hours and provides advanced trauma management and emergency medical treatment.
NZMAT - Camp health facility virtual walkthrough
This virtual walkthrough steps you through the facility. You can interact with it by looking in any direction using the arrow keys. There is also a floorplan (below the video) to help you check where you are – if you look down in the walkthrough, you will see a number corresponding to the floorplan.
Transcript
Welcome to the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT) fixed camp facility. From triage to treatment, our camp offers specialised tents for every medical need. Let’s step inside to discover how we provide life-saving care in a state-of-the-art environment.
Upon arriving at our triage area, a nurse swiftly assesses each patient’s needs. For life-threatening conditions, it’s straight to the resus tent. Less severe cases go to the primary care area, and all others may be directed to a waiting area.
Upon entering the primary care area, a registered nurse will undertake further assessment of the patient before the patient is seen by a doctor. Depending on their treatment plan, the patient will be treated and discharged directly from the primary care area, or moved to the short stay area for further assessment and treatment.
The resus area provides a clinical area for more intensive treatment, such as heart monitoring, stabilisation, or oxygen therapy. Once the patient has been stabilised, a medical transfer to another health care facility will be organised, as NZMAT fixed camp facility only operates in daylight hours.
Directly connected to the primary care area is the short stay area, where targeted clinical care is our focus. Where it’s setting a fracture, administering IV fluids for dehydration, or monitoring symptoms, patients are treated here for conditions requiring brief hospitalisation. Should further care be needed, a medical transfer is arranged.
At the end of our short stay area, you will discover the maternity area. With its own dedicated and discreet entrance, this private haven is purpose-built for maternity care. From assessments and treatments to childbirth, it offers a comforting environment for expectant mothers.
Next on our tour is the pharmacy tent, a multi-functional hub within our facility. Here, medications are dispensed both to inpatients and those discharged with prescriptions through a dispensing window in the side of the tent. We also manage diagnostic specimens in a dedicated lab area, and a store of central medical supplies for resupply.
Adjacent to the pharmacy, we’ll find the command area. This is the administrative nerve centre where we manage the operation intricacies of the entire fixed camp facility. It’s where strategy meets execution to ensure everything runs smoothly. Access to this area is through its own dedicated entrance for personnel, so as not to impact on clinical delivery.
Detached from the main area, we have the logistics tent. This serves as the base of operations for our logistical team, ensuring that the fixed camp facility operates efficiently. From vector management to workshops, and storing crucial supplies and habitat items, it’s a hub that keeps us well oiled and ready for action.
In addition to the clinical areas, our facility incorporates essential support elements for NZMAT personnel. Other areas that will support the facility include showers, toilets, isolation, and mortuary areas.
That is the beauty of the NZMAT fixed camp facility. It can easily be positioned to adapt to the community’s needs depending on available space and the nature of the response.
As we conclude our tour, we want to thank you for taking the time to explore this facility with us. At the heart of the NZMAT fixed camp facility is our dedicated team, and this facility provides a space where they can deliver the highest level of care to the community.
NZMAT Deployable Modules
NZMAT also has the capability to deploy the following modules either separately or as part of a Fixed Camp Facility:
Forward Planning Team (FPT)
Small team up to 3–4 personnel that provide health system needs assessment and site establishment role
- Deploy in under 12 hours from point of origin for a period of 5–7 days
- Provide assessment of potential NZMAT deployment needs and / or requirement
- Deploy with appropriate equipment and supplies adequate to their task Adhere to the EMT guiding principles and core standards
NZMAT Specialist Cell – Surgical
Small team(s) of up to 5–6 personnel that provide surgical support embedded:
- Within an existing theatre facility at local hospital in the country of deployment
- Deployed as part of Type-2 Fixed Camp Health Facility (ie, joint deployment with the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT)
A surgical team(s) may deploy at the same time as Mobile Teams and / or the Fixed Camp Health Facility or as a stand-alone team(s).
A Surgical Team:
- Deploy within 24–48 hours from point of origin for a minimum period of 14 days
- Has a central base of operations leadership / coordination team
- Provides surgical theatre support & expertise to support ‘business as usual’ or surge capacity
- Operational during daylight hours only
- Deploy with minimal supporting consumables
- Adhere to the EMT guiding principles and core standards
NZMAT Specialist Cell – IPC / Outbreak
A team of clinical personnel (number determined by size of emergency) supported by a base of operations that provide infectious diseases support embedded within an existing health facility or EMT.
A IPC / Outbreak team may deploy at the same time as Mobile Teams and / or the Fixed Camp Health Facility or as a stand-alone team.
A IPC / Outbreak Team:
- Deploy within 24–48 hours from point of origin for a minimum period of 14 days
- Has a central base of operations leadership / coordination team
- Provides IPC / Outbreak expertise and support during a disease outbreak (ie, Measles)
- Operational during daylight hours only
- Deploys with minimal supporting consumables
- Adhere to the EMT guiding principles and core standards
NZMAT Specialist Cell – Other
NZMAT has the capability to deploy small teams of personnel that provide specialist clinical care embedded within existing health facilities or Emergency Medical Team.
| Core Function | Description | |
|---|---|---|
Transport and Retrieval | Specialist transfer team for critically ill patients (in conjunction with host Ministry of Health) | Team of 4 personnel |
Maternal Health | Specialist midwifery & obstetric surgical care team | Team of 6 personnel |
Neonatal & Paediatrics | Specialist paediatric & neonatal care team | Team of 5 personnel |
Burns | Specialist burns care team | Team of 4 personnel |
Plastic / Wound Care | Specialist plastics / wound care team | Team of 4 personnel |
Mental Health | Specialist mental health care team | Team of 6 personnel |
Paramedic | Team of paramedics to provide support to host MoH / EMT | Team of 4 personnel |
Radiology | Radiology support to host Ministry of Health / EMT | 1 personnel or as required |
Pathology | Pathology support to host Ministry of Health / EMT | 1 personnel or as required |
Pharmacy | Pharmacy support to host Ministry of Health / EMT | 1 personnel or as required |
NZMAT Logistics and Coordination Cells
NZMAT has the capability to deploy Small teams up to 6 personnel that provide specialist technical expertise embedded within host Ministry of Health.
| Core Function | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| EMT Coordination | Specialist team to assist with international EMT coordination & tasking (in support host MoH) WHO EMTCC trained | Minimum 2 (embedded) Minimum 4 (standalone) |
| Health Emergency Operations | Specialist transfer team to assist with coordination of health emergency operations management & immediate / priority assessment (in support host MoH) Health EOC experience | Team of 4 personnel |
| Health Logistics & Infrastructure | Specialist technical trade team to assist with immediate repairs of critical health infrastructure (in consultation with host MoH) Urban Search and Rescue experience | Team of 6 personnel |
