Basic Health Care ERU
This ERU provides immediate curative, preventive and community health care. It can deliver basic outpatient clinic services, maternal-child health (including uncomplicated deliveries), community health outreach, immunization and nutritional surveillance. The unit must have a mechanism for referral of more serious cases for hospitalization, i.e. a hospital within reasonable distance. Existing health care structures are assisted, rehabilitated and further developed. This ERU can serve the primary health care needs of up to 30,000 people, and works with local health staff.

HKRC volunteer doctor, Dr. Ching Tak-kwan (left) follows the basic health care ERU to visit remote areas and provides medical service to the people displaced by the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

HKRC volunteer nurse, Ms. Carman Kwok, diagnoses a patient at a Basic Health care ERU unit operated in flood Kenya in 2007.

 
Referral Hospital ERU 
This ERU functions as a first level referral hospital, providing essential services for a population of up to 250,000 people. The inpatient capacity ranges from 120 -150 beds, providing surgical and medical care, intensive observation, anesthesia and operating theatre, x-ray, laboratory, maternal-child health, pharmacy, sterilization and outpatients clinics. This ERU works on the basis of an agreement with the health ministry of the country affected, and welcomes national health staff to work alongside the ERU personnel from overseas countries.

For larger populations, two existing referral hospital ERUs can be combined. A modular Rapid Deployment Hospital, consisting of two 4x4 Land Cruisers and trailers, with all the necessary medical and logistics supplies to cover the crucial first ten days after a disaster, can expand the capacity of a referral hospital ERU or be converted for community outreach.

The HKRC healthcare volunteers, Dr. Stanley Chau provides medical care to a patient in the Field Hospital ERU in Haiti in 2010.

The International Red Cross has set up a field hospital in Carrefour, Haiti, which can serve a population up to 250,000.