Designing a Mobile Eye Hospital to Support Health Systems in Resource-Scarce Environments

Eye health is an integral part of well-being that may be at increased risk when health service delivery is affected by sudden-onset disasters, complex humanitarian events, or conflict in resource-scarce environments. This study proposes a design plan for a mobile eye hospital to support health systems between the initial emergency response and recovery of health infrastructure in resource-scarce environments of low- and middle-income countries. The facility benefits from high mobility and modularity, it can be assembled and operated by minimal personnel, and easily expanded as necessary. It has capacity to host high-volume ophthalmological services without the logistical complexity of large-scale emergency medical team responses or military operations. The design provides a medium-term service that can either operate from a fixed location or be redeployed in-country with ease. Mobile eye hospitals may provide a useful facility for local governments suffering damaged health systems, or as a way to complement current eye health provision. The design may also be used by charitable nongovernmental organizations during an initial emergency response, with the ability to quickly deploy to a target location and establish eye services.