Hospital Ships
The 1998 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) stated "the review has identified a particular weakness in the amount of medical support we can provide for substantial combat operations overseas. We therefore plan to establish a new regular ambulance regiment, acquire an additional 200 bed primary casualty receiving ship". Previously the Royal Navy's only medical capability was R.F.A Argus, an aviation training ship with mothballed hospital facilities. In addition, the Royal Yacht Britannia could be used in as hospital ship in a time of war, although during the Falklands war the navy relied on the cruise ship Uganda to provide this service and the Ocean Survey Ships Hydra, Hecla and Herald to act as ambulances.
The two new hospital ships, officially known as 'primary casualty receiving ships', will each have somewhere in the region of 220 beds each and will be placed in different states of readiness- one on short term notice and the other available at slightly longer notice. It is possible that the ships may be used by the National Health Service (NHS), industry or private health companies when not required by the Defence Medical Services.
The MoD specification was completed by the end of 1999 and the project was then transferred to the Implementation Team at the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA). It is hoped to place a contract in 2002, so that both ships can enter service in April 2005.
In the meantime afloat medical support services are to improved over the next few years: RFA Argus will have her facilities upgraded in 2000, while one-stop replenishment vessels Fort George and Fort Victoria will have their medical capability upgraded during maintenance periods in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 29th October 2000. Disclaimer.