Sickbay Sickbay , also known as the dispensary , was the main medical center aboard Federation starship s . The section was presided over by the chief medical officer ( CMO ) , a senior staff member . The CMO was supported by various doctors and nurses . The area was also used for certain analyses of new lifeforms a starship might encounter , and for developing treatments for unknown diseases or illnesses . When rendering aid to a stricken planet or spacecraft , the sickbay staff treated and cared for the wounded . On starbase s , sickbay was typically called the infirmary . Features . Intensive care unit . Three or four biobed s generally lined the walls of sickbay ' s intensive care unit , or ICU ; these were for patients receiving medical care and were equipped with biofunction monitor s . On starships , private rooms were available for long - term patients . ( ) Surgical facilities . Sickbays also had surgical beds , where major surgeries were performed and critical patients were treated . A large , sophisticated sensor cluster was usually installed directly above this bed . Working in conjunction with a medical tricorder , the sensor suite could give detailed information about a patient ' s condition . The bed was also designed to use a surgical support frame . This bed was often located in the center of the main sickbay room , although refit and starships had separate spaces for their surgical beds , the former in a separate room , the latter in a small area that could be isolated by a force field . ( ; ) If necessary , surgery could be conducted in the intensive care ward if there was an overflow of patients or if another patient was present to donate blood . ( ; ) " Galaxy " - class starships also had separate surgical rooms . ( ) Laboratories . Sickbays typically had small laboratory facilities attached to the ICU . The chief medical officer or other associated personnel could monitor experiments or run tests here during their duty shift . ( ; ) The laboratory was equipped with a full bioisolation field . ( ) Many starships also have separate , larger medlabs . " Galaxy " - class ships had at least four . ( ; ) CMO ' s office . The chief medical officer ' s office was also located in or near sickbay . As with the captain ' s ready room , it was an area for the CMO to work in privacy or conduct meetings with patients , staff , and others . Its close location allowed the CMO to be present in sickbay almost immediately . The space could be personalized , and the chief medical officer could use plants or paintings for decoration . Dr . Beverly Crusher had a large painting outside her office ; it was an abstract representation of humanoid organs against the backdrop of space and several of the USS " Enterprise " starship s . Other features . Other treatment facilities available in a " Galaxy " - class sickbay included physical therapy rooms , ( ) OB / GYN and nursery areas , ( ) and an emergency bio support unit . ( ) A stasis unit was also available , used to temporarily place patients in suspended animation for later treatment . ( ) " Constitution " - class starships had a decompression chamber , and may have had other features as well . ( ) A morgue facility was also part of sickbay . On " Galaxy " - class starships , there was a large separate morgue , ( ) although autopsies were performed in the main sickbay . ( ) The " Intrepid " - class had a tiny area for storage of the deceased just off the medical lab as well as a separate morgue area . ( ) Supplies . Sickbays were well stocked with a variety of medical equipment and supplies . Much of it was left out on tables or benches for use by the medical crew , but some items were stored in cargo crates . ( ; ) On 24th century starships , if a piece of equipment was needed but not available it could be replicated . A standard food replicator was also found in sickbay , ( ) although the quality of the food did not appear to have improved much since the twentieth century . ( ) Security . Due to its critical importance , the primary sickbay was usually located deep within the saucer section of most Federation starship s . Sickbays were well - protected , and generally had a phaser locker for defense of the facility in the event the ship was boarded . ( ) Psychology . Sickbays could provide limited psychological services to a starship ' s crew . In the 23rd century , the ship ' s doctor often doubled as an informal counselor . ( ) By the 24th century , counselor s became a normal part of starship crews . Although not formally part of the medical staff , the counselor played an important role in the well - being of the crew . ( ) Counselors were not always assigned to starships , especially smaller vessels with limited missions . While the was stranded in the Delta Quadrant , the ship ' s Emergency Medical Hologram and morale officer Neelix informally filled the counselor roles . ( ) Emergency situations . Triage . When a large scale disaster was encountered by a starship , cargo bay s and shuttlebay s could be used as triage centers and even morgues if necessary . Generally , this was only feasible on larger ships with a sizable medical staff . On " Galaxy " - class ships , a chief medical officer could order all Starfleet crewmembers and civilians with medical training to assist during a major crisis . ( ) " Galaxy " - class starships also carried large quantities of backup medical supplies in the event of disaster . ( ) Designated environmental shelters could also be converted for medical use , such as Ten Forward on the " Galaxy " - class . ( ) On the " Intrepid " - class USS " Voyager " , the mess hall often served as a backup to sickbay . ( ) The Emergency Medical Hologram . The Emergency Medical Hologram was an asset to medical personnel introduced in 2370 . It could be activated in the event of a major emergency or loss of the medical staff . Although its value was indisputable , many Starfleet doctors , including Beverly Crusher , were not fond of the program , and it was rewritten several times . ( ; ; ) One noteworthy EMH was The Doctor of the USS " Voyager " . He was activated shortly after the ship ' s disappearance in 2371 , and served as their chief medical officer for nearly seven years , growing into a sentient being in the process . ( ) Differences among starship classes . NX - class . The had a single sickbay ward on E Deck . The facility was open - plan , with laboratory equipment in the main sickbay area . The room also contained a main operating table , as well as several side beds for recovery of patients and an imaging chamber . To either side of the Imaging Chamber were autoclave s . The room was easily capable of caring for non - humanoid patients . Aboard , Dr . Phlox often kept various different species of animals in sickbay , which he would sometimes use in the treatment of injuries in lieu of more traditional treatments . One such animal was an osmotic eel . ( ) The sickbay aboard " Enterprise " also featured two sink s in two alcoves next to the door . By using a ladder , a maintenance shaft could be reached . ( ) " Kelvin " - type . The sickbay was a brightly white - lit room , furnished with at least one biobed . Next to the bed were a couple of free - standing consoles and two overhead monitors . " Crossfield " - type . The sickbay featured two bio beds on each side of the room , with a third in the center . Above each bio bed was an imaging chamber . ( ) " Constitution " - class . On " Constitution " - class starships , sickbay was located on Deck 5 , and was considered the best protected part of the ship . ( ) It was maintained and operated by the Astro - Medicine Department . There were at least four wards . ( ) They featured multiple body function panel s . ( ) One of the wards was an isolation ward . ( ) It was completely redesigned during the refit of the , much to the chagrin of Dr . McCoy . ( ; ) By 2293 , the sickbay on " Constitution " - class starships was redesigned yet again . ( ) Alternate reality . In the alternate reality , the facility was known as " med bay " and was located within the saucer section of the ship . ( ) " Excelsior " - class . The sickbay on a refit starship can handle up to forty - seven patient s at one time , though it would be crowded . The rescued and treated forty - seven El - Aurian survivors in 2293 , without the CMO or their staff . ( ) " Galaxy " - class . " Galaxy " - class ships had at least three sickbay wards . ( ) Two sickbay wards were located on Deck 12 of the saucer module , with the primary facility on the starboard side of the ship and a backup on the port . ( ) Another sickbay was in the stardrive section . ( ; ) " Galaxy " - class ships had one of the largest medical care facilities in the fleet , taking up the majority of Deck 12 . " In an alternate timeline , Captain Rachel Garrett marveled at the size and advancement of the " Enterprise " - D sickbay , stating that she had " never seen anything like it before , even on a starbase . " " ( ) " Galaxy " - class ships normally had several doctors on board and at least four medical personnel on duty at all times . ( ) " Intrepid " - class . On " Intrepid " - class ships , sickbay was on Deck 5 . ( ) The entire medical staff consisted of a doctor and a nurse , supplemented by an EMH . ( ) Sickbays on the " Intrepid " - class were unable to handle heavy patient loads , much to the frustration of " Voyager " s EMH , who requested a larger facility at some point during " Voyager " s journey through the Delta Quadrant . ( ) " Defiant " - class . On ships , sickbay was on Deck 2 . ( " " ) Sickbays were spartan , usually staffed with a single physician or medic . The room was equipped with limited surgical facilities and was primarily intended to stabilize patients until they could be delivered to a nearby friendly starbase medical facility . ( ) " Sovereign " - class . Aboard the , sickbay wards could be found on Deck 8 and Deck 16 ( the latter of which was a smaller facility resembling the sickbay of an " Intrepid " - class ship ) . " Sovereign " - class sickbays were equipped with an EMH . ( ; ) " Prometheus " - class . Sickbays on the were somewhat small , each containing a single surgical biobed and a spartan research area . However , the sickbays were stocked with the latest in medical technologies and were the first to test the EMH Mark II . ( ) Appendices . Background information . In the script of , sickbay is described as " the small ' Hospital ' , the pleasant and comfortably furnished room - - not the usual Spartanish hospital type . " The script goes on to describe the room ' s furnishings . The sickbay set seen in was originally built for the aborted " " television series . It was reused for and also became the seedy bar visited by Dr . McCoy in . The set was later revamped to serve as the sickbay for . The sickbay set also doubled as the observation lounge set , during the first season of TNG . Its windows were covered with carpet when the set was used to represent sickbay . ( " " 3rd ed . , p . 10 ) Outlines of where the windows were can be seen in sickbay scenes . There was a small medlab attached to this set , beyond the doors next to Dr . Crusher ' s office . It was crammed behind the transporter room and a difficult set to shoot , debuting only three times , once as the Bio Lab in , again as Wesley ' s laboratory at the beginning of the third season , and its final appearance was as the tactical laboratory in . This led to the creation of a new , separate multipurpose laboratory which appeared towards the end of the same season . Items and the layout in sickbay changed gradually as the series went on , including the removal of a brown - tinted window in front of the main bio - bed shown in . It also appeared as the sickbay in and , in this same basic configuration . 24th century control panels and technology could be seen on the set in " Star Trek V " , but for " Star Trek VI " , the set was better redressed to hide the TNG - era elements . The set was further retooled to become " Voyager " s sickbay for and the sickbay in both and . Elements from this incarnation of the set were incorporated in the in . The set was torn down after " Voyager " wrapped in . A new set was built for the " Enterprise " - E in , although it used the biobed s from TNG ( which were originally from " The Motion Picture " ) . For the , the mess hall set was redressed to become sickbay . A great number of items found in the " Enterprise " s ( NX - 01 ) sickbay were sold in the " It ' s A Wrap ! " sale and auction .