New Plan: Operation Blessing's Flying Hospital
by Justin D. Long
QUICKFACTS
| Seating Capacity | 67 + 9 aviation crew |
| Operating Stations | 3 |
| Dental Stations | 2 |
| Hospital Beds | 10-13 |
| Cost per deployment | $350,000-$500,000 |
| 1997 missions | 8-12 |
Background
Operation Blessing is one of the major medical relief "mercy ministries"
operating today. Their new "flying hospital" has just been rolled out after
nearly a year of development. It's an L-1011, one of the largest carrier
planes built. Special transportable hospitals have been around for a while. Armies,
for example, have hospitals which can be moved around to provide aid. The
Mercy Ships, operated by YWAM, are another example. The OB plane, however,
brings new innovations to this concept.
- The plane could be deployed virtually anywhere in the world within a few
days. If a ship is off the coast of New York, it would take it quite a
while to respond to a disaster in China. A plane would have an immediacy
otherwise unavailable.
- The plane carries some of the most advanced medical facilities available
anywhere. The editor of this weekly essay was on a tour of the plane
Saturday afternoon, and I must admit I was duly impressed.
- Medical operations aren't limited to the plane; the staff explained that
they will set up a tent in an auxiliary area close by the plane to treat
medical conditions that don't require the facilities of the plane.
- The plane carries a complete pharmacy on board.
- The plane has a miniature "theater" which can be used to train health
workers from Third-World countries while the plane is on deployment. This
theater could even be used, theoretically, to allow doctors to watch an
operation in progress in order to learn.
Question
How much impact will this flying hospital have long-term on unevangelized peoples?
Suggestions
- Mission agencies should work with OB to learn in advance the schedule of
the plane and determine the optimum methods for using mercy ministries to
open doors for evangelism.
- Other relief ministries ought to work with OB for maximum impact of
medical missions while the plane is deployed in their area. Several
facilities could be set up in a rural area which could be accessed by the
plane, further enhancing the effectiveness.
- Smaller medical ministries should consider how they can network with
these "mega-medical-providers." Smaller ministries have a benefit in that
they can respond more quickly and cheaply to disasters than larger
ministries, which have to reroute plans and pay the cost of large plane
flights. However, they have a negative in that they don't often have all of
the equipment that these sorts of larger ministries can provide.
- Relief ministries should work together to develop early-warning systems,
immediate alert systems, rapid response teams, and techniques for moving
disaster relief teams to crises areas. I remember a terrible earthquake in
northern India--less than 5 relief agencies responded in the first few
weeks.