KFOR explores new frontiers in Operational Medical Support

The overall progress in security situation of Kosovo during the past years has created a favorable background for KFOR to utilize a new form of hospital level Medical Facility in support of KFOR mission objectives and KFOR personnel, namely a contracted Medical Treatment Facility, which is called Role-2 Basic facility in NATO terminology.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of Role-2 was led by the Deputy Commander of KFOR, Brigadier General Janos CSOMBOK, with the participation of the Luxembourg Chargé d’Affaires, Her Excellency Madame Anne DOSTERT and Mr. Peter DOHMEN, General Manager of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.

Starting from today KFOR explores new frontiers in Operational Medical Support. The new KFOR Medical Treatment Facility is a challenge, because for the first time NATO nations have contracted civilian medical services in direct support of military operations on a NATO mission.

The new KFOR medical treatment center is a Basic Role 2 facility and it is the KFOR initial surgery response capability which is characterized by its ability to perform surgical interventions, including damage control surgery and surgical procedures for emergency surgical cases. The new Role 2 facility is a collaborative process between the KFOR Troop Contributing Nations, the NATO Supply and Procurement Agency and it has benefited from a very generous donation from the nation of Luxembourg.

Role-2 Basic Medical Treatment Facility is the KFOR initial surgery response capability and is characterized by its ability to perform surgical interventions to a higher level than KFOR Role-1 Medical Treatment Facilities (KFOR initial medical response capabilities). The novelty and challenge is that this new facility is not a military, but a contracted one, provided by an international Contractor, within the framework of a business project launched on behalf of KFOR Troop Contributing Nations by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. Germany has been contributing to KFOR operational medical support by a large hospital complex, located in Prizren for more than a decade, and that facility will be withdrawn from Kosovo and relocated to a different theatre in the future to support another multinational military operation. That was the reason to launch the new, though smaller, hospital level facility in Pristina.

This new initiative will provide valuable experience for NATO and the nations as well. The new Role-2 Basic facility provides safe, secure and high quality medical care to KFOR troops, is an integral part of the KFOR treatment and evacuation continuum, and is available 24/7 for KFOR personnel. Since there was a remarkable progress in quality of medical care provided by the Host Nation (Kosovo) health care system, KFOR Troop Contributing Nations decided to rely on Host Nation capabilities in those areas of medical services that are not represented in the new Role-2 Basic facility.

Photos by: jfcnaples.nato.int/kfor