The infrastructure, unique in Europe, is characterized by its rapid deployment 45 minutes) and ability to treat 18 patients
The University Hospital Center of Toulouse (CHUT) has granted use of the mobile hospital built as part of EGALURG European cooperation project to the Hospital Center of Basque Coast (CHCB) to strenghen the emergency service overwhelmed by COVID-19. Team members of CHUT Emergency Medical Services provided help during the installation.
The field hospital is pioneering in Europe for its rapid deployment. It can be fully operative in 45 minutes minutes. It takes up a maximum area of 66 m2, and is 12 meters long. It consists of five completely equipped modules, with a total capacity of18 patients, plus healthcare professionals. The hospital is also prepared to withstand adverse weather conditions. It was originally designed to be used in the cross-border area for major events and mass gatherings, and in response to emergencies and disasters.
The infrastructure is completely self-sufficient. It has all the equipment and materials required to provide suitable health care in crisis situations: 12 mobile medical care stations, 16 electric syringe pumps, 8 stethoscopes, 2 suction devices, 8 ventilators, 20 cylinders, 18 stretchers, and one ultrasound device. With all this equipment, the mobile hospital can accommodate 8 patients in situations of the utmost urgency and 10 in situations of relative urgency.
For three weeks in September, the hospital traveled to remote regions of Haute Garonne to perform massive PCR testing and carry out through contact tracing of sources of contagion. This period was also used to adjust and improve some technical aspects of deployment. On November 9, the hospital was assigned to relieve the impact of coronavirus on emergency services at the Hospital Center of the Basque Coast in Bayonne, a partner in the EGALURG project. Plans for coming months include moving the field hospital to the regions of the other partners in the EGALURG project: Navarre and Catalonia.
Equal access to the emergency healthcare
The European network focuses on promoting equal access to emergency and disaster healthcare on both sides of the Pyrenees. The mobile hospital created by the CHUT forms part of Action 6 of the project‘s work plan, which is focused on the design and development of innovative tools for taking effective action when and where necessary, and providing better solutions for people on both sides of the French-Spanish border.
The total EGALURG budget comes to €2,343,192, of which €1,523,075 (65%) was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Interreg Program V-A Spain-France-Andorra (POCTEFA 2014-2020). The goal of the POCTEFA program is to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain-France-Andorra cross-border area. Its help is focused on developing cross-border economic, social and environmental projects through joint strategies in favor of sustainable regional development.