What Medical Supplies Are on a Navy Ship?

Shipboard medical facilities vary greatly depending upon the nature of the Navy ship and its mission. The basic responsibilities of the Medical Department include such things as preventative medicine, sanitation, occupational health programs and basic medical care.



Specialized ships such as the USS Comfort are complete floating hospitals with over 1,000 patient beds. The Comfort is capable of providing virtually any medical care necessary. Other Navy ships range from small ships carrying rudimentary supplies to carriers having small, on-board hospitals.

Pharmaceuticals

• Navy medical departments stock standard over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, cold medicines, cough syrup, loperamide and motion sickness prevention drugs. They may also carry controlled substances such as narcotics, antibiotics, steroids and cardiovascular medications.

Basic Supplies

• All ships have basic medical supplies such as suturing equipment, ice packs, eye and ear irrigations and casting material. If the ship has a medical officer it will also have a laboratory.

X-Ray Equipment

• All but the smallest ships have at least one portable X-ray machine, with larger ship clinics having a fixed unit.

Operating Room

• All medium to larger ships have some form of operating room, with sterilizers, EKG monitors, defibrillators and surgical supplies such as IV solutions, needles, catheters, ET tubes, gastric lavage tubes and a crash kit.