Medical Cadets as Force Multipliers: Operational Readiness from the Sumatra Disaster Relief Task Force

Angki Perdiyana; AJ Didy Surachman

doi:10.47353/ajmpm.v3i2.46

Authors

Angki Perdiyana Faculty of Military Medicine of The Republic of Indonesia Defense University
AJ Didy Surachman Faculty of Military Medicine of The Republic of Indonesia Defense University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47353/ajmpm.v3i2.46

Keywords:

disaster medicine, military medicine, medical volunteerism, hydrometeorological disaster, WASH engineering

Abstract

Background: As an archipelagic territory highly vulnerable to severe weather anomalies, Indonesia requires prompt multi-sectoral deployment and flexible civil-military medical protocols to mitigate post-disaster health crises; hence, this study evaluates the operational integration, health service support, and health risks of military medical cadets serving in the Sumatra Disaster Relief Task Force.

Methods: This study utilizing a descriptive field report with a narrative review component of disaster healthcare guidelines from 2016–2026, this research evaluated operational logbooks spanning November 30 to December 17, 2025.

Results: The mission successfully achieved five strategic milestones, including logistical readiness, shipboard surgical assistance, management of an internal Typhoid Fever case, evacuation recovery, and multi-sectoral water purification installations. Frontline operations in Aceh Tamiang managed a high-throughput volume of 586 acute civilian cases over two days (n=305 on December 16; n=281 on December 17), where waterborne gastroenteritis, post-flood infectious dermopathy, and neglected chronic pathologies represented the primary clinical burden.

Conclusion: Ultimately, deploying supervised senior military medical student volunteers functions as a vital mechanism to reinforce overloaded health infrastructures, though sustaining operational durability strictly depends on mandatory pre-deployment vaccinations, clear boundaries of practice, and rigid compliance with Incident Command Systems.

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