Some experiences in organization and establishing of the medical unit of a battalion in a brigade of the Croatian army

Sanitetsko odjeljenje (Sn.O) bataljuna u jednoj od brigada Hrvatske vojske (HV) ustrojeno je tijekom srpnja 1991. godine, postavljanjem referenta Sn.O. Osnovni zadatak bio je kontinuirano izvršavanje zbrinjavanja vojaka u postrojbi bataljuna. S tim u svezi organiziran je rad ambulante opće prakse, stomatološke i ambulante za fizikalnu terapiju. Organiziranje i rad sanitetskih ekipa koje prate vojake na položaju, kao i interventne ekipe pri ambulanti opće prakse. Osim izvršavanja navedenoga Sn.O. bataljuna upućuje ranjene vojake na postoperativnu rehabilitaciju u toplice, kako u Republiku Hrvatsku, tako i u inozemstvo. Ovo Sn.O. pokrenulo je inicijativu glede obeštećenja ranjenih i poginulih vojaka na razini bataljuna. U ambulantama koje pokriva ovo Sn.O. (ambulanta opće prakse, stomatološka i ambulanta za fizikalnu terapiju), vodi se protokol bolesnika i kompjutorska obrada relevantnih pokazatelja zbrinutih vojaka. U Sn.O. bataljuna djeluju: referent sanitetskog odjeljenja, dva liječnika, jedna interventna ekipa sa sanitetskim vozilom pri ambulanti, tri sanitetske ekipe koje prate postrojbu na položaju (ekipe sačinjava: vozač, bolničar, medicinski tehničar i sanitetsko vozilo), jedan liječnik stomatolog i asistent u stomatološkoj ambulanti, jedan fizioterapeut i bolničar u ambulanti za fizikalnu terapiju. Ovdje je, međutim, važno pripomenuti da postrojba o kojoj je riječ po broju vojaka dvostruko premašuje postrojbu normalnog bataljuna, pa je organizacija Sn.O. ove postrojbe nešto drukčija od uobičajene sheme organizacije sanitetske službe (odjeljenja) na razini bataljuna. I, konačno, sanitetsko odjeljenje organiziralo je rad bolničara i medicinskih tehničara od razine voda do satnije, čime je u cijelosti zaokružena organizacija sanitetske službe ovoga bataljuna.Medical unit of a battalion in one of the brigades of the Croatian Army has been founded in July 1991 by the appointment of the medical officer. The main task was to perform continously the health care of the members of the battalion. At first, the work of a GP’s surgery has been organized as well as that of a dentist’s surgery and a surgery for physical therapy. The work of medical teams accompanying soldiers on their positions has also been organized as well as that of an emergency team in the GP’s surgery. Besides of these tasks the medical officer of the battalion does also referrals of wounded soldiers to postoperative rehabilitation in rehabilitation institutes or spas both within the Republic of Croatia and abroad. This medical unit has also taken initiative concerning compensations to wounded soldiers or to families of dead soldiers at the level of the batt alion. In surgeries which are parts of this medical unit (GP, dentist, physical therapy) the patients’ records are kept as well as the computer analysis of all relevant data about treated soldiers. The members of the medical unit are: the medical officer, two physicians, one emergency team with an ambulance which is a part of the surgery, 3 medical teams who accompany soldiers on their positions (a team consists of a driver, an aidman and a male nurse equipped with an ambulance), a dentist, a dentist’s assistant, a physiotherapist and a aidman in the surgery for physical therapy. It is, however, important to remark that the military unit in question has twice inore soldiers than a normal battalion, so that its medical unit differs to some extent from the usual organizational scheme of medical units at the level of a battalion. And finally, the medical unit has organized the activity of aidmen and male nurses at the level of platoons up to the level of companies. In this way the organization of the medical service of this battalion has been rounded off completely