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Deploying a military emergency medical team in flood response: operational lessons from Orkadiéré, Senegal

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In October 2024, exceptional flooding along the Senegal River, exacerbated by unusual rainfall and dam releases from the Manantali and Diama infrastructures, directly affected approximatively 55,600 people across the Matam, Saint-Louis and Tambacounda regions and severely disrupted healthcare access in dozens of inundated communities. The Senegalese Armed Forces deployed a World Health Organization Type 1 Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to Orkadiéré, a strategic locality in the Matam region selected through a joint pre-deployment assessment with local civilian health and administrative authorities. Over 16 days (16–31 October 2024), a ten-member team comprising three physicians, a senior nurse, two nurses, two nursing assistants, an administrative officer and a driver—supported by dedicated military logistics and security units—delivered 360 documented medical consultations, conducted field missions to riverine communities accessible only by pirogue, and maintained active epidemiological surveillance for epidemic-prone diseases. This commentary reflects on four operational lessons derived through formal after-action reporting within the military chain of command: joint pre-deployment assessment for site selection; multidisciplinary team composition; separation of logistical from clinical functions; and epidemiological surveillance from mission day one. It also examines the civil-military coordination model and implications for institutionalising military humanitarian medical capacity within the Senegalese Armed Forces.
DOI: 10.1016/j.afjem.2026.101023
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,140
OpenAlex ID: W7225468170
FWCI:
Cites: 5
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Related to: 10