A hospital in a box
Germany’s ELA Container Offshore has delivered its first mobile MEDICBox, otherwise known as ‘a hospital in a box’, to the offshore windfarm industry.
The 10ft container WINDEAcare container is equipped as a mobile rescue centre for medical treatment on offshore sites. It can be used as an adequate alternative to flight solutions when medical care cannot be provided by helicopter.
Caspar Spreter, managing director of WINDEA Offshore, said: “We are very satisfied with the on-schedule project execution, the competent team of ELA and the high quality of the container.”
He added that the WINDEAcare concept has been developed as a supplement to a fully equipped rescue helicopter, which can’t always be used due to adverse weather conditions.
The MEDICBox provides modern telemedicine equipment, direct media connection to a telemedicine centre onshore and can be used onboard various vessel types.
Because it uses a stable satellite connection, the MEDICBox can interact in real time with an emergency medical technician with audiovisual communication, to monitor vital signs which are then forwarded to the telemedicine centre.
“The compact design ensures effective treatment in the container and only needs a small part of the vessel capacity,” added Mr Spreter.
All equipment fulfills the latest offshore and medical treatment area guidelines and the container is certified to the DNV 2.7-1 / EN 12079-1 and CSC certificate. Depending on customer requirements, ELA Offshore said containers can be individually customised and are available at short notice.
ELA Container GmbH, part of the Albers Group, is a container technology expert based in northern Germany.
By Anne-Marie Causer
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