The Beirut blast 2020: Lessons learned from the Swiss Emergency Medical Team specialized “Mother & Child”

Authors

  • Olivier Hagon, MD
  • Lionel Dumont, MD, PD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2020.0379

Keywords:

mass casualties incident, Beirut, emergency medical team, Mother and Child, disaster

Abstract

On August 4, 2020, Beirut was hit by a devastating explosion leading to mass casualties: thousands were injured and there were significant damages to residences, offices, and health structures. The Emergency Medical Team (EMT) specialized “Mother and Child” was deployed by the Swiss Humanitarian Aid in order to support local health facilities, empower local health professionals to resume clinical activities and ensure access, and continuity of patient care in particular in the fields of gynecology-obstetrics and pediatrics. This communication presents the particularities of an EMT deployment in an urban area of an upper middle-income country with some recommendations for such settings.

Author Biographies

Olivier Hagon, MD

Deputy Head of Division, Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Co-Head, Centre for Humanitarian Medicine and Disaster Management WHO Collaborative Centre, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

Lionel Dumont, MD, PD

Médecin Associé, Department of Anesthesiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

References

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Published

10/01/2020

How to Cite

Hagon, MD, O., and L. Dumont, MD, PD. “The Beirut Blast 2020: Lessons Learned from the Swiss Emergency Medical Team Specialized ‘Mother & Child’”. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, vol. 15, no. 4, Oct. 2020, pp. 303-5, doi:10.5055/ajdm.2020.0379.

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 4 (2020): Fall

Section

Brief Communications

License

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