Canberra-based Aspen Medical has been contracted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide healthcare professionals and hospital management at a 48-bed field hospital south of Mosul in northern Iraq. The field hospital was established by WHO at the urgent request of the Ministry of Health in Iraq. WHO is coordinating a number of organisations providing trauma care in the conflict zone.

Aspen Medical will initially be providing a team of over 80 personnel to the facility including emergency physicians, surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, midwives, neonatal specialists, obstetricians and paramedics. In addition, they also be providing management, logistics, security, administration and operations specialists. The Aspen Medical team will work alongside 48 national health personnel of different cadres already recruited to support trauma care at the hospital. 

“Aspen Medical will initially be providing a team of over 80 personnel to the facility.”

Glenn Keys, co-executive chairman and co-founder of Aspen Medical, said ISIL had completely destroyed the healthcare infrastructure and the collective challenge of the trauma care organisations is to ensure access and availability of a high quality of medical care for those fleeing Western Mosul.

“With the commencement of the offensive in Mosul, there is likely to be a significant increase in trauma casualties,” he said. “Mosul is a city of about 1.2 million people and casualties have been high; nearly half the casualties are civilians and this includes a high proportion of children.”

Health professionals interested in roles at the Aspen Medical field hospital in Mosul should visit the company’s website.