As the energy industry globalises, so too does the need for quality medical care facilities. The nature of the industry is such that activity is invariably focused on remote locations – the very places in which medical care can be hard to find, or of unknown quality.

At Abermed, we have been involved in a number of projects in which we have worked with operators to advise on, design and help establish overseas medical facilities.

In the Sahara desert, for example, sizeable workforces are operating – in temperatures of 56 degreesC, yet two and a half hours by plane from the nearest hospital. In situations like these, the operator has to set up a new, custom-designed facility for the provision of medical and health care.

Perhaps surprisingly, all that is required as a basic minimum is a single, standard ‘Portakabin’ – provided it is properly equipped. This would be adequate to house a medical suite, although in many cases we do recommend that a small waiting room, doctors’ consulting and examination room and a hospital facility are included as part of the plan. The facility will need a resuscitation couch, and medical equipment such as a defibrillator and autoclaves. Treatment drugs would also be kept within the hospital area.

A facility like the Sahara one is staffed by one doctor, with a paramedic, who in that particular case is also the ambulance driver, and assistance is also received from trained first aiders when required.

Geared up, as it has to be, to cope with trauma, the facility needs to be comparable to the standard of a good cottage hospital. The most serious medical conditions would be referred to a more sophisticated hospital, emergency evacuated by air, on an aircraft kept on site, or by land in vehicles that can be adapted to provide stretcher space.

Medical facilities in remote locations require management and operational guidelines, and in many cases these guidelines have to be created as the project proceeds. Tact and diplomacy is a key part of ensuring these work, as many different nationalities are involved, and operational standards have to be set as there is often no authoritative framework to support them. In some locations the medical provider will be setting up the ‘law’ as he or she goes along, based on medical requirements, common sense and practicality.

The planning for such facilities is comprehensive and requires on-site and office based activities. Once operational, an audit will be undertaken by an organisation such as Abermed, clarifying that everything is as per plan and giving the green light to safe medical practices for the many people who rely on them.