Falkland Islands' Healthcare: Hospital And Medical Facilities

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service is responsible for providing all medical services to the islands, including dental care. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) is the only hospital in the Falkland Islands and is based in the capital, Stanley. The hospital has a range of medical, dental, and inpatient services, including a maternity bed, an intensive care unit, and an isolation unit. The hospital has a unique geopolitical environment due to its location and the 1982 conflict between Argentina and Great Britain.

The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in the Falklands

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service is responsible for providing all medical services, including dental care, to the islands. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) is the only hospital in the Falklands, located in the capital, Stanley, and serving the archipelago's approximately 3,000 residents. The hospital has 27 to 29 beds, including 18 acute beds, a maternity bed, an isolation unit, a two-bed intensive care unit, and seven long-stay beds for elderly care. There is also a day centre, two dental surgeries, and a theatre with an anaesthetic room.

KEMH is the base for most of the islands' medical, dental, and inpatient services. The hospital must be entirely self-sufficient and takes referrals from Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia, Antarctica, and numerous foreign fishing vessels, yachts, and cruise ships arriving in port. There are five full-time and one part-time GPs, a consultant surgeon, and a consultant anaesthetist who serve four-month tours of duty on the islands. A radiographer, biomedical scientist, and dental hygienist are seconded from NHS trusts. There are also two practice nurses, a part-time nurse practitioner, two casualty nurses, ward nurses, and healthcare assistants. The GPs provide all medical care apart from surgery or anaesthesia and are supported by visiting specialists, mostly from the UK.

The hospital has a pharmacy that dispenses prescriptions and provides over-the-counter medicine sales and health advice. There is no resident qualified optician on the islands, and more complex treatments may require medical evacuation to Chile or Uruguay. The general standard of health within the Falklands is rated as good, and visitors to the islands require no vaccinations. Travel insurance, including medical evacuation by plane, is needed to stay in the Falklands.

The hospital operates in a unique geopolitical environment due to its location and the 1982 conflict between Argentina and the UK. The forerunner to KEMH was the Victoria Cottage Hospital, located on the site of Gilbert House. KEMH officially opened in 1915 and provided a small range of healthcare services before 1982. After a devastating fire in 1984, the hospital was rebuilt and reopened in 1987.

It has 27-29 beds, including acute beds, a maternity bed, and an ICU

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service is responsible for providing all medical services, including dental care, to the islands. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in Stanley is the only hospital in the Falkland Islands and the base for most of the islands' medical, dental and inpatient services.

The hospital has 27-29 beds, including acute beds, a maternity bed, and an intensive care unit (ICU). The number of acute beds is 18, according to one source. The ICU has two beds. There is also an isolation unit, seven long-stay beds for older people, and a maternity bed. The hospital has a small accident and emergency department. An adjoining seven-bed long-stay nursing care unit consists of single rooms with ensuite facilities.

The hospital has a full range of medical, dental, nursing, and allied health professional staff, including midwives and community nurses, qualified to UK standards or recognised equivalents. Wherever possible, the hospital adheres to UK standards/guidelines for medical practice. The hospital also has a well-equipped pharmacy that dispenses all prescriptions and provides over-the-counter medicine sales and health advice.

The hospital operates in a unique geopolitical environment due to its location and the 1982 conflict between Argentina and Great Britain. With referrals coming from Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, and numerous foreign fishing vessels, yachts, and cruise ships arriving in port, the range of medicine and pathology seen is vast and surprising.

The hospital provides medical, dental, and inpatient services

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service is responsible for providing all medical services, including dental care and inpatient services, to the islands. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH), located in Stanley, is the only hospital in the Falkland Islands and the base for most of the islands' medical, dental, and inpatient services. The hospital has 27 to 29 beds, including acute beds, a maternity bed, an isolation unit, an intensive care unit, and long-stay beds for older people. There are also modern facilities for outpatients and community healthcare, a day centre, two dental surgeries, and a theatre with an anaesthetic room.

The hospital provides a full range of medical services, including primary and secondary healthcare. The medical staff are qualified to UK standards, including a full surgical team, and there are five full-time GPs and one part-time GP. A consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetist do four-month tours of duty on the islands. There are also two practice nurses, a part-time nurse practitioner, casualty nurses, ward nurses, and healthcare assistants. The hospital also has a well-equipped pharmacy that dispenses prescriptions and provides over-the-counter medicine sales and health advice.

For those living in remote locations, consultations take place by telephone, and remote rural patients are provided with a "medicine chest" so that doctors can instruct them on which medications to take based on remote consultations. In some cases, patients or doctors can be transported by the Falkland Islands Government Air Service if necessary. The hospital also provides specialist care through visiting specialists, including ophthalmology, psychiatry, orthopaedics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and obstetrics and gynaecology. There is also a weekly fly-out visit to the small encampments on the smaller islands, where a physician flies on a small government plane to provide consultations and medical care.

Medical services on the islands were basic before 1982 but have seen considerable investment since

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service is responsible for providing all medical services, including dental care, social services, and benefits services. The general standard of health within the Falklands is rated as good, and all healthcare facilities are based at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in Stanley.

Before 1982, medical services on the islands were basic, but there has been significant investment since. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1915, provided a small range of healthcare services before 1982. Following a fire in 1984, the hospital was rebuilt and reopened in 1987. Today, it has 27 to 29 beds, including acute beds, a maternity bed, an isolation unit, an intensive care unit, and long-stay beds for older people. The hospital also has modern facilities for outpatients and community healthcare, a day centre, two dental surgeries, and a theatre with an anaesthetic room.

The hospital is the only one in the Falkland Islands and serves a population of approximately 3,000 people, as well as 1,800 British military personnel stationed on the islands. It operates in a unique geopolitical environment, with referrals coming from Antarctica, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha, and numerous foreign fishing vessels, yachts, and cruise ships arriving in port.

The hospital must be entirely self-sufficient, and its clinical services are supported by a dedicated team of administrative and ancillary staff. There are five full-time GPs and one part-time GP, as well as a consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetist who do four-month tours of duty on the islands. A radiographer, biomedical scientist, and dental hygienist are seconded from NHS trusts. The GPs provide all medical care apart from surgery or anaesthesia and are supported by visiting specialists, mostly from the UK. Specialist services are also provided by a range of visiting consultants based in the UK, including ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, and oral surgeons.

The social services team provides support for a wide range of people with social care needs, including children, older people, and people with disabilities or long-term mental health problems. They also provide a sheltered and mobile warden service and the islands' probation service.

The Falkland Islands Government Health Service provides all medical services

The primary and secondary healthcare facilities are based at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in Stanley, the only hospital in the Falkland Islands. The hospital has 27 to 29 beds, including acute beds, a maternity bed, an isolation unit, an intensive care unit, and long-stay beds for older people. The hospital also has modern facilities for outpatients and community health care, a day centre, two dental surgeries, and a theatre with an anaesthetic room.

KEMH is equipped with a full range of medical professionals, including dental, nursing, midwives, community nurses, and allied health professional staff, qualified to UK standards or recognised equivalents. The hospital also has a well-equipped pharmacy that dispenses prescriptions and provides over-the-counter medicine sales and health advice.

For those living in remote farm settlements, care is provided by GPs via telephone consultations and regular visits. In emergencies, the doctor can be transported to the settlement, or the patient can be evacuated to Stanley using the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS). Specialist services are provided by visiting consultants based in the United Kingdom, and patients requiring more advanced treatment may be referred to hospitals in the UK, Chile, or Uruguay.

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