RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Comparison between Defence Healthcare Engagement and humanitarian assistance
JF BMJ Military Health
JO BMJ Mil Health
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP 417
OP 419
DO 10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001437
VO 168
IS 6
A1 Thomas Falconer Hall
A1 S Horne
A1 D Ross
YR 2022
UL http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/content/168/6/417.abstract
AB Humanitarian assistance and Defence Healthcare Engagement have traditionally both been taught on the Medical Humanitarian Stabilisation Operations Course. However, the two activities are distinct. This paper outlines the critical differences between them, focusing on their specific purposes, scope, timescales and ethics. Humanitarian assistance will remain a distinct activity with a focus on the relief of suffering, guided by international norms, while Defence Healthcare Engagement will encompass a broader range of activities, less constrained by internationally agreed principles. This presents an opportunity for the Defence Medical Services to directly contribute to projecting UK influence, preventing conflict and building stability. However, it requires the Defence Medical Services to take responsibility for the ethical issues that Defence Healthcare Engagement raises. This paper recommends the development of an ethical framework that reconciles the strategic aims of Defence Healthcare Engagement with maximising patient welfare at the tactical level. This is a paper commissioned as a part of the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.