Natural and complex disasters can cause a dramatic increase in the demand for emergency medical care. Local health services can be overwhelmed, and damage to clinics and hospitals can render them useless. Many countries maintain mobile field hospitals for defense or humanitarian purposes. Dispatching these facilities to disaster-affected countries would seem an ideal response to emergency medical needs. Unfortunately, experience has shown that in the case of natural disasters, field hospitals often have not met the expectations of recipients and donor institutions.

In July 2003, the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization sponsored a workshop in El Salvador to discuss the pros and cons of using foreign fieldhospitals in the aftermath of natural disasters. These guidelines are the result of that workshop. The workshop participants identified different phases when foreign field hospitals and specialized medical personnel are most useful. They can provide advanced trauma care and life support if at the disaster site within 48 hours of the impact of an event; they would provide follow-up care for trauma victims and resumption of routine medical care in the two weeks following the event; during rehabilitation and reconstruction phases (from two months to two or more years), a field hospital might serve as a temporary replacement for damaged health facilities. These guidelines propose conditions that field hospitals and their staff should meet for each ofthese phases. The guidelines also outline issues that authorities in donor countriesand disaster-affected countries should discuss before mobilizing a field hospital.

Los desastres naturales y complejos pueden provocar un gran incremento en la demanda de atención médica de emergencia. Los servicios de salud locales se pueden encontrar abrumados y el daño a clínicas y hospitales los puede, además, dejar inservibles.

Muchos países mantienen hospitales de campaña móviles para ser usados en conflictos bélicos o en misiones humanitarias. Enviar estas instalaciones a países afectados por desastres podría parecer la respuesta ideal para las necesidades médicas de emergencia.

Desafortunadamente, la experiencia ha demostrado que, en el caso de desastres naturales, los hospitales de campaña muchas veces no cumplen las expectativas de los beneficiarios o las instituciones donantes. En julio de 2003, la Organización Mundial de la Salud y la Organización Panamericana de la Salud auspiciaron un taller en El Salvador para discutir los beneficios y las desventajas de usar hospitales de campaña extranjeros después de desastres naturales.