Last May 2, as part of the exercise Open Sea 2023, a training event was conducted centered on the projection from the sea of a medical support capacity through the construction of a Advanced Medical Place (PMA) on the ground.
In particular, Nave San Giusto, in training off the coast of Sardinia, operated in the archipelago of La Maddalena with the aim of training the embarked staff, the crew, together with the personnel of the marine brigade Saint Mark and the various specialist components of the naval team in making a medical facility on land fully operational, extremely quickly, capable of providing high-tech and professional healthcare assistance in the event of humanitarian emergencies following natural disasters.
The exercise, presented and managed by rear-admiral Vincenzo Aglieri, planned and conducted with the support of the commander of the third naval division, rear-admiral Stefano Costantino, developed in various phases with the full involvement also of the Civil Protection (PROCIV).
Initially, the site where the PMA was to be set up was located, followed by the unloading of the material and personnel necessary for the construction and management of the facility, the preparation of the structures and all the systems and equipment necessary to ensure the efficiency and full autonomy of the structure, up to the verification of the procedures for the transport and treatment of injured personnel with different types of trauma and medical-health complications.
The exercise, inserted in the dynamic and complex scenario of the articulated Offshore, highlighted the natural predisposition of the Navy to make specific capabilities available from an inter-agency and inter-agency perspective.
The PMA is therefore one of the enabling expressions of the national maritime instrument, specifically it is calibrated on different structures according to the needs and contingencies dictated by the territory and emergencies. In addition to triage and first aid, where it is possible to define the degree of seriousness of the wounded/patients, areas are available where stabilization and any hospitalization takes place, as well as other specialist checks. Including diagnostic imaging capabilities (conventional x-ray and ultrasound), clinical chemistry analysis laboratory with blood bank, cardiac monitoring equipment and respiratory support.
The electrical system, designed in a workmanlike manner, is powered by a 400 kW generator and a possible transient that switches the power supply in the event of a blackout. Finally, the desalination plant takes sea water directly, filtering it and treating it appropriately to make it suitable for human consumption.
To underline the precious support to the PMA of all the operational components in particular of the AER and Marinaresca.
The exercise, which had a positive response, ended with a meeting between the participants in which Rear Admiral Vincenzo Aglieri underlined the importance of consolidating inter-agency relations with the Civil Protection, in order to be able to operate synergistically in the event of ready need.
