Health Department Prowlers

Health Department Prowler

The Union Health Department maintains a small fleet of space ships that "prowl" along Union frontiers and check on new colonies. They provide extensive health services, make assessments of local conditions. Provide feee health and hygiene education and give out tons of health and hygiene products.

HDP are not Hospital ships and can not provide the disaster relieve or battle full blown epidemics, but they do have doctors aboard to provide emergency surgeries, dental surgery etc.

The arrival of a HDP is usually a huge event of several days, that has county fair character. The Health education part comes with projection screens, themed rides and Virtu Experiences.

HDP visits can of course be requested by Union members. The HDP's are sometimes used as Good will ambassadors[1] to independent low tech civilisations.

HDPs are operated by civilian space ship crews who are HD employees. HDPs are not armed and only civilian class shielded. Usually they do not leave Union Space.

[1] Officially they are of course Good Will Ambassadors and do exactly what a HDP supposed to do but they are also sent to prim cultures to encourage them to seek membership. Something that had a few voices of objection