UK medical team to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
If you’re studying disaster response, today is a live case. On Monday 17 November 2025, a 12‑person UK Emergency Medical Team of GPs, nurses, midwives and logisticians began work in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, with the first mobile clinics opening the same day. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office says the mission’s job is simple to describe and hard to deliver: get care to people where services are disrupted.
Those first clinics are in Jackson Town, Ulster Spring and Wait‑A‑Bit in Trelawny. You’ll see urgent care for injuries and infections, maternal health checks, medicines, and referrals for anyone who needs hospital treatment. This is surge support for local teams who have been carrying a heavy load since the storm.
Why the surge? Melissa was historic. Meteorologists record it as the strongest hurricane landfall on Jamaica, a Category 5 strike on 28 October that pushed health services to the limit. In Trelawny, Royal Navy engineers from HMS Trent have been helping repair critical systems at Falmouth Hospital to bring services back online.
Quick explainer: Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are pre‑trained, self‑sufficient clinical units that countries can request through the World Health Organization system. Teams are “classified” to shared standards so they can plug into a national plan without adding pressure. The UK EMT is on WHO’s list of classified teams.
What a mobile EMT does in practice: a Type 1 mobile team runs daytime outpatient care-stabilising injuries, treating infections and long‑term conditions, then referring serious cases for surgery or inpatient care. Being mobile means the team can shift location as roads reopen and needs change.
You’ll also hear the term WASH. That means water, sanitation and hygiene-the basics that stop disease after floods. UNICEF Jamaica is moving water tanks, hygiene kits and connectivity to clinics, while PAHO supports water quality checks and essential health supplies to keep services running safely. Think clean water and handwashing as part of frontline care.
Why WASH and surveillance matter right now: standing water brings real risks. Jamaica’s Ministry of Health reports 11 confirmed cases of leptospirosis across western parishes as of 17 November, and local health departments are warning people to avoid floodwater and boil water before use. Public health teams will also watch closely for dengue as mosquito breeding increases.
Where the UK fits beyond the clinics: the government says 6,560 shelter kits, 1,100 hygiene kits and more than 6,700 solar lanterns have reached over 33,000 people so far, alongside medical surge teams. Earlier regional funding was stepped up to £7.5 million, while HMS Trent’s engineers supported emergency repairs at Falmouth Hospital.
On labs and alerts: the FCDO says the UK Health Security Agency is working with the Caribbean Public Health Agency on diagnostics, infection prevention supplies and specialist placements, while PAHO coordinates partners in the Health Cluster with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health. In plain terms, that means faster testing, better data and field experts supporting shelters.
If you’re learning this in class, map three flows. Clinical flow: triage, treat, refer. Public‑health flow: test, track, respond. Community flow: water, sanitation, hygiene. See how one weak link-unsafe water, for example-can overwhelm clinics even when beds and staff are ready. This is why EMTs, WASH and surveillance move together.
What to watch this week: clinic locations may shift as access improves; field hospitals will take on more complex cases; and surveillance teams will scan shelter health data for any spikes. In Trelawny, a Spanish Type 2 field hospital beside Falmouth Hospital is already providing surgery and inpatient care, which should reduce pressure on referrals.
Leaders are framing this as practical help and solidarity with Jamaican colleagues while local services are stretched. The UK’s Minister for the Caribbean, Chris Elmore, and UK‑Med’s chief executive, David Wightwick, both underline that point. We’ll keep tracking outcomes-clinic throughput, referrals, water quality results and weekly disease trends-as services stabilise.