16 Medical Regiment put to the test 24.02.12
88Medics from 16 Medical Regiment have been training in York this week. The regiment is part of 16 Air Assault Brigade's Airborne Task Force, ready to deploy on operations anywhere in the world. Troops were testing their skills and the high-tech, lightweight equipment they use on the ground. A field hospital, including a resuscitation suite, operating theatre and intensive care ward, was set up to treat simulated casualties using equipment such as a portable digital X-ray machine and hand-held diagnostic scanners. Lieutenant Colonel Steven Tracey, Commanding Officer of 16 Medical Regiment, said: "We offer a unique capability within the British military, not just the Army, of being able to deploy a surgical team by parachute. "To be ready for our role in the ABTF we have to move away from our recent experiences in Afghanistan. "We could find ourselves operating - in all senses of the word - in conditions that are hostile not just in terms of fighting, but the lack of depth to transport and medical resources and environmental conditions, such as sanitation and the prevalence of tropical disease. "This requires our medics to develop a different mindset to work without the safety net there is in Afghanistan of having what is probably the best trauma hospital in the world a quick helicopter ride away. This training has tested our ability to work light, fast and on our own."