GFOR MNB SMEDICAL COMPANY (MEDCOY)

STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) – DRAFT

GFA Course School Solution – DRAFT

Situation:

The MedCoy commander asked the GFA to have a look at their newly developed SOP and provide advice on how to integrate gender perspective.

Task for the syndicates:

The GFA students should go through SOP and add a gender perspective where possible. This document highlights the relevant parts for the GFA and serves as a school solution.

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this SOP is to provide guidelines, policies, and procedures. The implementation of this document will enhance the effectiveness of training and provide specific procedures for routine tasks during GFOR MNB S MedCoy operations. This SOP has been prepared to standardize operations and GFOR MNB S MedCoy procedures.

  1. Scope.

The scope of this SOP addresses the mission, organization, equipment, and operations of the MedCoy.

  1. Applicability.

This SOP applies to all personnel assigned to the GFOR MNB S MedCoy.

  1. Accountability.

All personnel assigned to the MedCoy as a part of their initialorientation are required to become familiar with and have a working knowledge of this SOP. Thereafter, all medical personnel in leadership positions will review the SOP every 90 days and update orrecommend changes as required. Personnel not in leadership positions are required to review the SOP aminimum of every 6 months or as necessary when conducting operations.

II. GENERAL

  1. The MedCoy provides Echelon I Combat Health Support (CHS) for MNB S. They will also provide life or limb saving medical support to the local population[GS1] living in the AOO of MNB S. An additional duty for the MedCoy will be assisting in the collection of evidence related to conflict related sexual violence, this includes but is not limited to filling in a sexual assault medical certificate[GS2][GS3].
  1. MedCoypersonnel are under the command leadership of the company commander. The brigade surgeon/medical company leader is a member of the MNB S staff.
  1. The MedCoy is dependent on the GFOR Medical Battalion for Echelon II CHS.

This includes medical evacuation from the MedCoy Role 1 facility to the Role II, patient holding, Class VIII resupply, medical maintenance, x-ray, laboratory, and operational dental care. The MedCoy requests augmentation/reinforcing support from the GFOR medical battalion.

III. ORGANIZATION AND MISSION

  1. Organization
  2. The medical platoon is organized as shown in Annex A (to follow[GS4]).
  1. The headquarters section of the MedCoy, under the direction of the coy surgeon, commands the MedCoy and ensures resupply for the coy.
  1. The field medical assistant, a medical staff corps officer, is the operations/readiness officer for the coy. He[GS5] is the principal assistant to the coy surgeon for operations, administration, and logistics. The field medical assistant coordinates CHS operations with the brigade G3 and G4 and coordinates patient evacuation with GFOR Medical Battalion. When a physician is not assigned, he performs the duties of medical platoon leader.
  1. The coy senior NCO assists the coy leader and supervises the operations of the coy. He also serves as the ambulance section senior NCO. This NCO prepares reports; requests general supplies as well as medical supplies[GS6]; advises on supply economy procedures; and maintains stock of expendable supplies. He supervises the activities and functions of the ambulance section, to include operator maintenance of ambulances and equipment and OPSEC.
  1. Treatment squad[GS7]. This squad is staffed with an operational medical officer (primary care physician/coy surgeon), a Physician Assistant (PA), two health care Sergeants (SGT), and four health care soldiers. The coy physician, PA, and health care SGT are all trained in Advanced Trauma Management (ATM) procedures, commensurate with their occupational positions/specialties.
  1. Combat medic section. A total of 12 trauma specialists are assigned to the combat medic section[GS8].
  1. Mission.

The mission of the MedCoy is to provide Echelon I CHS for MNB S.This includes medical treatment, medical evacuation, and clearing the battlefield. It includes preventive medicalactivities to counter either disease or combat and operational stress disorders. It includes ATM tosave lives, limbs, or sight and to stabilize the wounded or injured patient for further evacuation. This alsoincludes maintaining accurate field health records as well as the permanent health record in a base setting.

The MedCoy will also provide life or limb saving medical support to the local population[GS9] living in the AOO of MNB S.

The MedCoy will be assisting in the collection of evidence related to conflict related sexual violence (on request of the military police), this includes but is not limited to filling in a sexual assault medical certificate.

Important information out of the International Protocol to know / add to the SOP:

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Engaging individuals, their families and communities in order to investigate and document information of sexual violence must be done in a way that maximises the access to justice for survivors, and minimises as much as possible any negative impact the documentation process may have upon them.

When documenting information about sexual violence, practitioners must strive to “do no harm” or to minimise the harm they may be inadvertently causing through their presence or mandate.

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Practitioners should have the appropriate level of skills and training to undertake documentation of sexual violence. In particular, practitioners should:

• Ensure that all members of the team, including interviewers, interpreters, analysts and support staff are appropriately vetted, and trained to document violations according to the basic standards as set out in this Protocol.

• Ensure that all members of the team have knowledge and experience of dealing with cases of sexual violence and, in particular, are familiar with the proper interview techniques, terminology and strategies to respond sensitively to disclosure of sexual violence by both female and male survivors/witnesses.

• Where possible, train staff in dealing with trauma and the ways in which to recognise and respond to post-traumatic stress disorders and risks of suicide and self-harm.

When working with child survivors and witnesses, practitioners should in particular:

• Have training specific to approaching, interviewing and referring children to enablepractitioners to respond to the specific vulnerabilities and capabilities of the child.

• Understand how to apply the principles of “do no harm”, confidentiality and informedconsent specifically to working with children, including the use of age-appropriatetechniques when communicating with survivors and other witnesses.

• Have training on child interviewing skills that are age-sensitive, and take into accountthat interacting with very young children requires different skills from those requiredwhen dealing with adolescents.

• Have training on techniques to prevent re-traumatising children, such as allowing them tofeel bodily sensations and emotions (trembling, shaking and crying).

• Understand the distinct challenges that different groups of vulnerable children mayface, such as the risk of rejection by communities that young girls associated with armedgroups and forces can experience.

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Assessing risks to information

• Do you have a plan in place to safely collect and store information?

• How will you keep information that you gather safe and confidential? When, why and how will you destroy information at risk of confiscation?

• How will you transport any information and evidence you gather?

• Are you able to maintain “Chain of Custody” and do you have the capacity to safely secure the information for long periods of time?

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Interpreters are often a key part of the practitioner’s team. Interpreters should be appropriately trained, not only in interpretation itself but also in working with survivors/witnesses of sexual violence and, where relevant, with children.

Interpreters should be able to provide the practitioner’s team with interpretation during any interaction practitioners may have with members of the community, including during interviews. They should also be able to provide practitioners with the right linguistic and cultural interpretations of key words, behaviours and expressions associated with sexual violence in a particular setting, without changing or influencing the information as provided by the survivor or other witness.

During interviews in particular, interpreters must be able to work sensitively and professionally, and according to the ethical principles of “do no harm”. They must also fully understand the concept of informed consent, and abide by the team’s codes of confidentiality.

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Physical evidence refers to any physical object or matter that can provide information and help to establish that a crime took place, or provide a link between a crime and its victim or between a crime and its perpetrator. As a general rule, practitioners should not collect any item of physical evidence unless they have been trained as an investigator or as a health practitioner in the proper collection of forensic evidence. If practitioners choose to collect physical evidence without having undertaken the proper training, they can severely harm a survivor, and may contaminate evidence, making it unusable. That said, in some very limited circumstances, where safe and where it is the only viable option, the collection of physical evidence may be appropriate.

The decision to collect physical evidence should be taken with seriousness and care, and be thought through very carefully. Practitioners may come across physical evidence of sexual violence:

• On survivors/witnesses themselves, depending on the time frame and nature of injuries;

and/or

• At the site where the sexual violence took place.

Depending on the time frame involved and the nature of the injuries, survivors of sexual violence may have physical signs on their bodies in the form of marks or injuries that corroborate their accounts of the attack. They may also have medical consequences of the assault, including internal physical injuries, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and mental trauma. Ideally, a victim should be able to access immediate medical assistance following a sexual assault and a trained clinician should record any injuries and the other health impacts in a confidential medical record which a survivor can access at any time (see, “Sample Sexual Assault Medical Certificate”).

IV. MEDICAL EVACUATION OF SICK AND WOUNDED

  1. General.
  1. Evacuation is based on the principle that rear higher echelon medical units are responsiblefor evacuating patients from supported units. Lower echelon supported and supporting units must ensureevacuation support plans are complete and current by close, direct coordination.
  1. Patients are evacuated no further to the rear than that necessary to obtain the medicalcare that will return them to duty. Patients are evacuated by the means of transportation that most clearlymeets the treatment demands of their wounds, injury, or illness[GS10].
  1. The preferred method for evacuation of neuropsychiatric casualties who canbe managed without medications or physical restraints is a non-ambulance ground vehicle. If physicalrestraints and/or medications are required during transportation, ground ambulance is preferred[GS11]. An airambulance should only be used if no other means of evacuation is available. Physical restraints are usedonly during transport and medications are given only if needed for reasons of safety. Those neuropsychiatricpatients with life- or limb-threatening conditions are evacuated by the most expedient meansavailable.
  1. Responsibilities for Medical Evacuation.
  1. The medical platoon leader—

1.Develops an evacuation plan which will best support the operations being conducted.

2.Prepares/obtains the necessary maps of the AOO[GS12] and overlays from the G3.

3.Does reconnaissance of MEDEVAC routes, either map or on the ground.

4.Provides ambulance teams with strip maps; briefs the plan; and rehearses theMEDEVAC plan with the ambulance section when time permits.

5.Identifies and coordinates with the brigade TOC on the location of primary andalternate helicopter landing sites that are established.

6.Oversees medical evacuation operations to ensure expedient evacuation from thebattlefield.

b. The medical platoon SGT—

  1. Ensures that evacuation wheeled assets are maintained and preventive maintenancechecks and services (PMCS) are accomplished in accordance with standards.
  2. Ensures that ambulances are properly stocked with requisite Class VIII supplies andequipment.
  3. Ensures computers and communications equipment are functioning.
  4. Keeps the MedCoy updated on road conditions and the threat levels.
  5. Maintains prescribed Class VIII supplies on hand.

c. The brigade G4—

  1. Is involved in developing the mass casualty plan and the use of nonstandard vehiclesto evacuated casualties.
  2. Is responsible for coordinating with graves registration personnel for the transport of deceased personnel.
  3. Provides transportation assets for deceased personnel[GS13].
  1. Control of Property and Equipment

a. Soldiers evacuated from their unit to the medical facility, as a minimum, have their protective maskand clothing.

b. Any property and equipment arriving with casualties other than the protective mask andclothing or individual weapon for ambulatory patients will be collected and turned in to the brigade G4 forreturn to the parent unit. The G4 coordinates the return of property and equipment to thecasualty’s unit.

c. Under combat conditions, protective masks are kept in the immediate proximity of eachpatient (this included local population if they become a patient, this means MedCoy will have to provide the mask and or other equipment[GS14]) throughout their period of evacuation. In other operations, the protective maskpolicy for patients will be based on the CBRN threat and the policy established by higher headquarters.

  1. Use of Aeromedical Evacuation.

a. Aeromedical evacuation is the preferred method of evacuation and will be used when—

1. Life, limb, or eyesight is in jeopardy (URGENT or URGENT-SURGICALcategory). This is not limited to support for GFOR soldiers, but also for the civilian population.

2. Speed, distance, and time are factors in assuring prompt and adequate treatment.

3. There is a critical need for resupply of Class VIII supplies or whole blood/bloodproducts.

4. There is a critical need for movement of medical personnel and equipment.

5. Civilian patients will be searched prior to each move in the MEDEVAC system[GS15].

V. PRISONERS OF WAR (PW)

  1. All PW will be provided medical care according to the articles of the Geneva Convention for the wounded and sick, dated 12 August1949.
  1. PW patients will be segregated from GFOR personnel[GS16].
  1. PW patients will be reported through normal medical reporting procedures.
  1. Enemy medical personnel are considered retained personnel and shall receive the benefitsprovided by the Geneva Conventions. Retained enemy medical personnel will be used to the maximumextent possible to care and treat PW patients.
  1. PW patients will be under armed guard at all times. Guards are theresponsibility of the echelon commander. Medical personnel will not be used as guards for PW accordingto the Geneva Conventions.
  1. PW patients will be searched prior to each move in the MEDEVACsystem[GS17].

VI. CLASS VIII SUPPLY

  1. The MedCoy maintains a 2-day(48-hour) stock of Class VIII supplies.
  1. Medical supply items authorized for use by the MedCoy are normally those items that are identified as part of the equipment stock[GS18] (Annex B, to follow). Items that are not in this stock mustbe approved by the brigade surgeon. This includes both expendable items and pharmaceuticals.

VII. MANAGEMENT OF MASS CASUALTIES

  1. Mass casualty situations occur when the number of casualties exceeds the available medicalcapability to rapidly treat and evacuate them. The brigade surgeon working with the G4 and the G3 advises COM MNB S on integrating all available resources into an effective mass casualty plan.
  1. All medical units must have procedures in place to respond effectively to mass casualty situations.[GS19]The potential of disasters in war and other operations requires that the medical element be prepared tosupport mass casualty situations. They must be able to receive, triage, treat, and evacuate large numbers ofcasualties within a short period of time. Contingency plans for supporting mass casualty operations must bedeveloped by MNB S. Unit mass casualtyplans, as a minimum, will address the following subject areas:

1. Planning and training requirements.

2. Medical duty positions.

3. Non-medical personnel positions and duties, including litter teams, perimeter guardscrowd control, and information personnel.

4. Location of treatment areas, to include triage, immediate care, minimal care, delayedcare, and expectant care areas.

5. Support requirements beyond the unit’s capability.

IIX. GENEVA CONVENTIONS COMPLIANCE

  1. Medical Facilities.

1. All GFOR medical facilities and units will display the distinctive flag ofthe Geneva Conventions. This flag consists of a red cross on a white background. It is displayed over theunit or facility and in other places as necessary to adequately identify the unit or facility. Non-display of theflag can be ordered by a brigade or higher level commander.

2. Camouflage of the medical facility (medical units, medical vehicle, and medical aircrafton the ground) is authorized when a lack of camouflage might compromise the tactical operation.

  1. Defense of Medical Units.

1. Medical personnel may carry small arms for personal defense of themselves and defenseof their patients. Self-defense of medical personnel or defense by medical personnel of their patients isalways permitted. This does not mean that they may resist capture or otherwise fire on the advancingenemy. It means that, if civilian or enemy military personnel are attacking and ignoring the marked medicalstatus of medical personnel, medical transportation, or the medical unit, the medical personnel may provideself-protection. If an enemy military force merely seeks to assume control of a military medical facility or avehicle for the purpose of inspection and without firing on it, the facility or vehicle may not resist.

2. All civilian patients will be searched before entering a GFOR medical vehicle or facility[GS20].

[GS1]There should be specific differences made in the support and treatment of men, women, boys and girls. To be able to support all members of the population it is also important that the MedCoy has male and female medical staff.