Níveis de Suporte Médico em Missões de Paz das Nações Unidas: o papel do Force Medical Office

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to highlight how the establishment of medical support levels and the performance of the Force Medical Officer contribute to achieve the objectives supported by what the conditioning instruments of National Defense advocate and especially in what is mentioned contained in the National Defense Policy. In addition to the country's desire to participate in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. We used a methodology based on bibliographic and documentary research, based on UN documents, national legislation, articles and manuals of the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. The study highlights the process of triggering a peace operation, with all of the organ’s guidelines directly involved and presents an overview of what happens in the mission area regarding operational health. To this end, it refers initially to the conditioning Brazilian defense documents, the goals and actions that correlate with the mission, enhancing a history of the Brazilian presence in peace missions with emphasis on medical practice in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), highlighting the importance of the presence of military personnel from the health staff of our Armed Forces in UN peace operations, in addition to establishing a relationship with the objectives listed in the Brazilian defense policy. It is concluded that the participation of military health personnel, especially those who perform the functions of Force Medical Officer (FMO), coordinating and supervising certain levels of medical support of a Peace Operation, are aligned with the objectives of Defense. However, there is a need to provide specific training of these military personnel and updates on health doctrines and, especially, iexchange with other nations participating in Peace Missions.