Fast medical help
The Fast Medical Aid ( SMH ) was from 1976 in the GDR responsible for all medical emergencies. The GDR-wide emergency number was 115 . The SMH was a cooperation between the German Red Cross and the Ministry of Health . Since 1994 the term has been used as a registered trademark by a Berlin haulage company specializing in patient transport.
history
Taking into account the experience gained from working with the "Instruction on Urgent Medical Aid", which has existed since 1967, the Ministry of Health, together with the Presidium of the DRK of the GDR, designed further steps to stabilize the care of emergency patients in the pre-hospital phase. The new service area of the state health system - the rapid medical aid (SMH) - took on the function in 1976 in ten district and four district towns of the republic.
The SMH was dissolved after the fall of the Wall in 1990 and the rescue service tasks were put out to tender by the cities or districts. Today organizations such as ASB , DRK , JUH , MHD , private rescue services or professional fire brigades operate the rescue service in cities. The districts can also run the rescue service themselves.
Under the title Readiness Dr. In 1988, Federau shot a television series about the work of the SMH and broadcast it several times on MDR .
In 1995, a new ambulance was founded in Berlin with the name "Rapid Medical Help".
tasks
Instruction No. 2 of the Ministry of Health for the establishment of the SMH of June 12, 1979 stipulated the task for the SMH that every citizen should quickly receive the necessary medical help at any time and anywhere. This concerned all assistance for acutely ill and seriously injured citizens directly at the scene of the incident and on the transport to the rescue center or to the hospital as well as medically supervised transfer trips to facilities for specialized medical care in:
- acute danger to life that could lead to fatal outcome without medical help
- Risk of permanent damage to health
- required rapid pain relief
- Behavioral disorders that urgently required medical measures in the interests of the person concerned or of other citizens
In addition, tasks in the event of unforeseen events, disasters and accidents were taken over by the SMH as part of an immediate response. The constant readiness for action and functional efficiency of the structural elements of the SMH, together with the allocation of forces and resources from the standby system of the health service and the DRK of the GDR, led to management cooperation with civil defense.
Uniform procedures were also gradually implemented for the tasks involved in organ transplants, for urgent transport of medical specialists, blood and its derivatives, and premature babies.
The realization of these tasks required specific structural elements that were precisely defined:
- the control center SMH together with the ambulance of the DRK of the GDR in the supply area
- Support points for DMH and / or DHD groups outside the control centers with a potential control center function depending on specific territorial features
- Urgent Medical Aid Group ( DMH ) → today comparable to an ambulance service
- Group of the urgent home visit service ( DHD ), possibly supplemented by the urgent pediatrician home visit service ( DkHD ) → today KÄND
- Ambulance transport of the DRK of the GDR
- Rescue centers
The DRK of the GDR provided the SMH control centers with the fully equipped vehicles and one driver each with an SMH special course (equivalent to paramedics today ). The control center was responsible for the maintenance, care and retrofitting of the medical technology. The medicines and consumables were also provided in full by the SMH control center. To ensure mobile SMH use, three vehicle types with medical devices and emergency medication from VEB MLW Leipzig and Kombinatbetrieb Labortechnik Ilmenau were available.
vehicles
Barkas B 1000 KK
As part of the SMH was Barkas - ambulances subordinated to the DMH doctor and integrated into the medical evacuation. The vehicles were manned by one or two ambulance carriers. The tasks included transporting the injured and sick at the instigation of the control center. The frequency of operations was between 220 and 250 operations per 1000 inhabitants per year. The DRK provided the vehicles, employees and technology to the SMH control center.
Barkas SMH 2
The Barkas SMH 2 ( ambulance of the DHD and DMH) was equipped by VEB MLW Ilmenau in such a way that a doctor could exhaust all options for the treatment of acute vital-threatened patients. Experience gained through the B1000 DMH vehicles that have been in use since the 1960s was incorporated into this further development. The knowledge of the DMH ambulances, which had been equipped differently up to then, was pooled and a uniform equipment variant called SMH 2 was now designed. Most of the SMH 2 delivered were an SMH 2/4 version. The last variant ever developed is the SMH 2/5 in 1990.
Barkas SMH 3
The SMH 3 (ambulance of the DMH) was intended for the DMH use and was mainly stationed in larger SMH control centers. Due to the lack of space in the patient room of SMH 2, VEB Barkas-Werke , VEB MLW Labortechnik Ilmenau and VEB Fahrzeug- und Karosseriebau Parkentin developed an extended variant, the B 1000 SMH 3. A special structure, which is made up of a tubular steel frame and with one GRP produced tailgate was provided, brought the increased space available. The improved space resulted in increased sensitivity to crosswinds. The tailgate, which opened upwards, offered additional protection when loading in rain and snow.
Wartburg 353 MED
The Wartburg emergency vehicle for DHD and DMH complemented the SMH vehicle series and was particularly suitable where long journeys had to be bridged. Also used in the Rapid Medical Aid system from 1984 onwards, a patient could be transported lying down, whereby emergency care by the emergency doctor was also possible while driving. The Wartburg 353 MED was produced in two versions from 1984 at VEB Karosseriewerke Halle , one for DMH use (urgent medical help), with medical-technical equipment for the emergency doctor, and on the other hand for DHD use (urgent medical aid) Home call service) with simplified equipment. The technical design of the Wartburg Tourist was not changed. To transport a patient lying down, the rear bench seat was folded forward and the front passenger seat was rotated 180 degrees.
Mobile ambulance
The mobile ambulance (LD-AFr6 / Mz-A) from VEB Labortechnik Ilmenau was based on the technology of the Robur bus. The all-wheel-drive bus equipped with a 50 kW diesel engine and five-speed gearbox as well as an additional two-speed transfer case with off-road transmission had an all-steel box body with a standing height of 1850 mm. The vehicle was intended for use in areas without inpatient medical care, but especially for disaster operations. The variable medical-technical equipment was designed in the basic equipment for the treatment of all emergencies including childbirth and could provide the basic care of a general medical ambulance. A laboratory workstation could carry out blood and urine tests. The vehicle usually carried a single-axle trailer with an electric unit (3.5 kW Otto engine, generator for 220 V, 50 Hz). The connection of an air conditioning system was planned.
literature
- Peter R. Huhle: Modernized vehicle fleet for rapid medical help. In: Motor calendar of the GDR 1989. Military publishing house of the GDR, 1988, ISBN 3-327-00522-2 , pp. 130-136