Mobile emergency (surgical) hospital: Development and application in medical relief of “4.20” Lushan earthquake in Sichuan Province, China

In the 21st century, natural disasters and emergencies occur frequently worldwide, which leads to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives as well as the direct and indirect economic losses. China has a vast territory frequently struck by natural disasters. However, the reality is not optimistic. Poor organization and management during the rescue actions, the lack of large-scale, systematic medical rescue equipment were all great barriers to the outcomes. Mobile hospitals are expected to provide better health care. We were inspired by the concept of mobile hospital. Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, has set up trauma care system since 1988, in which pre-hospital care, intensive care, and in-hospital treatment is fully integrated. As a major advantage, such a system provided assurance of “golden hour” rescue treatment. Providing mobile intensive care and pre-hospital surgical service for severe trauma patients could reduce mortality significantly. Based on the civilian experiences in Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, the mobile emergency (surgical) hospital was developed.