Medical Support

IMAS 10.40 specifies the minimum requirements for medical emergency preparedness during mine action operations. However, the clinical content of IMAS 10.40 has not been revised since originally drafted in 2004, and the wording permits significant variance in terms of the clinical competencies displayed by medical staff.

As the mine action sector matures, operators are increasingly looking for more comprehensive, and context appropriate, guidance against which to assess and train their staff. There have also been clinical advances and doctrinal shifts in the pre-hospital management of explosive trauma since 2004 that should be incorporated into mine action medical practice and guidelines where appropriate and feasibly practicable.

This Technical Note aims to provide additional context specific guidance, informed by current pre-hospital trauma practice, on the provision of appropriate medical cover within the mine action context which can be used for assessment and standardisation of medical support to mine action programmes.