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The British Army's major field hospital in Helmand is at Camp Bastion. It is air-conditioned, has eight intensive care beds and two wards that can treat 25 patients.
Medics from Britain, Denmark and the US work there and have recently been dealing with an unrelenting flow of casualties.
The field hospital has been using almost four times more blood for transfusions — 42 units a day — than an average general hospital.
Many of the casualties are young soldiers injured by improvised explosive devices, with one or more of their limbs missing.
In the 10 days leading up to 26 July, doctors at the hospital treated more than 157 people for conditions ranging from battle shock and heat exhaustion to amputations and bullet wounds.
Many of the troops who survive suicide bombers and booby traps are left crippled, blind or brain damaged.
Medics at Camp Bastion also treat the Afghan national army and police, as well as civilians — and members of the Taliban.
Surgeon Commander Sarah Stapley said she worked for 33 hours over a 35-hour period shortly after arriving in Afghanistan five weeks ago.
“We were having continuous casualties coming in every few hours and some of those required immediate surgery,” she said.
A wounded soldier undergoing an operation will usually have a general team of five surgeons, working with three orthopaedic surgeons.
With anaesthetists, emergency doctors and junior doctors, there could be 20 staff working on a single patient.
Reader views (1)
God help our poor soldiers, this government hates them and everything they stand for.
- Jamal Akhbar, Edinburgh, 30/07/2009 15:16
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