General Medical Officer (GMO) Manual: Administrative Section

Medical Planning for Liberty and Working Port Visits

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery


Checklist

Port visit medical planning requires early staff preparation and verification with the executive officer, operations officer, and supply officer as well as medical staff aboard ship. The following checklist can assist in providing an organized approach to medical planning for port visits.

    1. Logistical flights supporting your ship during your stay (can be used for MEDEVAC lift of opportunity)
    2. Rental vehicle(s) to transport patients to and from airport and local hospitals.
    3. Communication for medical in port (pagers, cell phones).
    4. REMEMBER IF YOU DO NOT ASK YOU WILL NOT GET IT, SO ASK EARLY!

Husbanding Agent

A good relationship with the husbanding agent is key to the overall success during the port visit. This person arranges translators, settles all medical bills, and arranges for your survey of the local hospital(s). Ensure a binder is prepared and maintained for the in-port watchstanders. This should include the husbanding agent’s business card with phone number and all information gathered about the local medical system to include at a minimum, ambulance, local emergency departments, and the husbanding agent. DO NOT TAKE LIBERTY UNTIL YOU HAVE VISITED THE LOCAL HOSPITALS AND CREATED THIS PASS-DOWN BINDER.

How do I pay for the medical care at foreign hospitals? The husbanding agent will pay the bill in local currency and present a bill at the end of your stay. Work with the ship's disbursing department to handle the payment of foreign hospitalization(s). BUMED issues a message entitled CENTRALLY MANAGED ALLOTMENTS. This annual message is released in general distribution to all fiscal officers/comptrollers and this contains accounting data that can be used by the ship's disbursing officer to pay for any and all services a foreign hospital provides. DO NOT DEPLOY WITHOUT THIS MESSAGE. Further questions may be addressed by contacting the BUMED Accounting Division (MED-14) at DSN 762-3576 or (202) 762-3576. All copies of the hospitalization and medical care provided (even if written in a foreign language) should be mailed to MED-14 at BUMED using the following address:

    Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
    MED-14
    2300 E St. N.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20372-5300

Finally, maintain a copy of all records.

Prepared by LT Youssef H. Aboul-Enein, MSC, USN, Plans, Operations & Medical Intelligence, Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Great Lakes, Ill (1999).

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