In August of 2021, Aspen Medical through her vertical in the United Arab Emirates (Aspen Medical –UAE), was contracted by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in request of medical support for the imminent arrival of evacuees from Afghanistan transiting through UAE’s Dubai mainly to Australia and the New Zealand. 

 

This request followed a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground in Kabul, Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. Whilst initial estimates concluded that 200-400 evacuees would arrive in the UAE, within 14 days 2,800 evacuees had landed with an estimated statistic of 4,000+ finally transiting through the tourist City of the UAE in two months. All these evacuees were under the care of Aspen Medical while in the Al Minhad Airbase, the entry and departure point in Dubai.

 

Aspen Medical - UAE deployed both clinicians and consumable capability within less than 24 hours of confirmation of need by DFAT. In response to this request, and within 72 hours, Aspen Medical put in place a make-shift (tented) state-of-the-art clinic imported from the Netherlands that housed observation rooms, consultation rooms, resuscitation bay, pharmacy, temporary short stay admission(day-care). The tent also came with equipment including chairs and tables, Medical equipment and consumables.

 

Aspen’s deployed team of clinicians for the mission included 10 Doctors, 22 Nurses, 1 Psychologist, Laboratory Technician. These were pulled from both the Australian and UAE verticals. There were also two teams of on-call ambulance drivers and Paramedics supported by Aspen Medical’s Logistic Personnel. 

 

The scope of services included but was not limited to: 

 

·      Primary healthcare services to evacuees including outreach clinics and “home” visits to vulnerable evacuees

·      Interim stabilisation for emergency presentations with support from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) 

·      Evaluation, stabilization and timely referrals of cases that needed further management to an outsourced facility (Prime Hospital, Dubai). These included cases of term or near-term pregnancies (several), cerebrovascular accidents, trauma (both penetrating and blunt) and Complicated COVID-19 infections (pneumonia)

·      Conducting COVID-19 PCR swab parades as requested by the ADF. The team completed over 800 PCR swabs on evacuees over 4 days. (353 30 Aug 2021; 287 02 Sep 2021; 168 05 Sep 2021; 9 07 Sep 2021)  

·      Basic onsite pathology services and further laboratory diagnostics through an outsourced laboratory

·      Establishing and maintaining a patient management system 

·      Coordinating the establishment of isolation facilities for both COVID-19 active cases and contact, and gastroenteritis cases, and establishing Standard Operating Procedures for management of such

·      Holistic provision of appropriate medical care and support such as food, water, communication tools and entertainment for isolated families

·      Advising on fitness to fly in consultation with the ADF 

·      The identification, treatment, monitoring and travel disposition of patients of concern in consultation with the ADF

·      Medical and nursing support on nine Australia-bound repatriation flights from Al Minhad Airbase (Dubai) to ports in Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. (Nurse 28/08; Nurse 29/08; Nurse 02/09; Nurse 03/09; Emergency Medicine Physician and Nurse 06/09; Nurse 07/09; Medical Officer 07/09; Nurse 16/09; Nurse 23/09)

 

Our team treated 715+ patients, 15% of whom were 5 years of age or younger. Whilst in location, the Aspen Medical team facilitated and logistically supported the birth of three babies in a local Dubai facility (Prime Hospital) and their subsequent onward journey to Australia. A case of severe COVID-19 pneumonia was also treated in the same facility upon referral by the Aspen clinicians. Other cases referred were those of trauma, a case of gunshot wound among others that were deemed not fit to fly before high-level care.

 

In addition to the treatment of patients, Aspen Medical successfully contained positive COVID-19 patients living in extremely high-density accommodation in the camp and arranged the rapid delivery of 50,000 N95 masks from her PPE manufacturing facility in Brisbane, Australia, following a critical shortage.  The Aspen Medical team completed regular COVID-19 surveillance testing of these cases before their flights.

 

Aspen also facilitated flying of COVID-19 positive cases under very strict precautions, with Aspen’s clinicians on-board ensuring that they arrived devoid of any contamination or interaction with the negative cases.

 

The project ran from August 17 to October 17, 2021 when DFAT confirmed that the last flights had successfully landed in Australia. Aspen’s capacity was withdrawn and the clinic collapsed after a successful mission.