BDF invites public to tour field medical facility

Members of the public are invited to tour the Barbados Defence Force’s Field Medical Team on Tuesday, August 29, and Wednesday, August 30, at its camp site at the National Stadium, Waterford, St Michael, from 9 am to 5 pm daily.

Members of the public will receive a first-hand look inside the operations of a field medical facility.

Visitors to the facility are asked to note that no heels will be allowed inside the tents to avoid damaging the floors.

In addition, persons 18 years and over attending the tours are also invited to sign-up and become volunteers with the BDF FMT, regardless of their educational level.

These include medical (doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, pharmacists etc); logistics personnel such as artisans, engineers, signals, communication; and general administrative and auxiliary personnel.

Officer in charge of the BDF FMT, Major David Clarke, underscored the need more volunteers.

“We need a depth of volunteers so we are looking for other health care professionals … technicians, electricians, plumbers. It is a hospital so every job in a hospital we need,” he said.

He added that there will be a set training programme for potential members of the BDF FMT before they become part of the team.

He explained that one option was to join the Barbados Defence Force as a reserve or as a civilian volunteer.

“There are different options, and we are willing to work with people so that we can have the best team when we are ready to deploy,” he said.

The major noted that new members would be required to undergo a six-month training programme before becoming a member of the team.

The BDF FMT was established in 2018, and is a unique body, encompassing regular and reserve members of the BDF and civilian volunteers working together to provide health care in emergency situations.

It is currently accredited as a Type One facility, which in effect is a polyclinic, and is seeking to reach its Type Two accreditation, which allows it to function as a general hospital.