The Roles and Responsibilities of a Foreign Service Health Practitioner: Serving in a Developing Country

Abstract

Foreign service health practitioners (FSHPs) support the realization of the goals and objectives of U.S. embassies and ensure the health unit's operational capacity, from the treatment of minor emergencies to evacuating a patient for advanced emergency care. Effective planning for emergencies as a result of a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or highly communicable disease is contingent on the level of emergency preparedness. A FSHP is uniquely positioned to focus on critical issues involving the assessment of local health care resources and preparing for medical emergencies. This is especially true for assessing the availability and functionality of local medical resources in a developing country such as Sierra Leone, West Africa. The serious deficiencies in Sierra Leone's health system and its lack of ability to respond to medical emergencies demand the FSHP to integrate special knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential for managing the overall health care services provided at the embassy's health unit.