WHO Academy Starts Mass Casualty Management Training at AIIMS Delhi
The WHO Academy has launched its first Training of Trainers (TOT) Programme for Mass Casualty Management (MCM) in India at the All India Institute of Management Science (AIIMS) trauma centre in New Delhi. This program is designed to prepare emergency units for handling mass casualties by training frontline healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, logistics support, management, and technicians.
Course Details
According to Professor Kamran Farooque, Chief of JPNATC AIIMS trauma centre, the patented Mass Casualty Course will be invaluable during situations requiring hospitals to manage mass casualties, thereby saving maximum lives. The team has experience from countries like Somalia and Iraq. The vision is for the trained faculty at AIIMS to provide training across hospitals and medical institutes in India.
The course spans five days, with three days dedicated to instruction and two days to training. Faculty from other AIIMS locations, including AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Patna, and AIIMS Jammu, are also participating.
Expert Insights
Dr. Harald Veen, Course Lead for the Mass Casualty Management Course at WHO EMRO, emphasized that the course is designed for exceptional situations where hospitals must change their normal patient management policies to save as many lives as possible. The model was developed by an international group of experts for the benefit of patients.
Dr. Ali Mehdi, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Medical Director at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in the UK, highlighted the significance of the event, stating that saving even a single life is a big achievement and that this initiative is a major milestone for AIIMS and India.
Future Impact
Upon completing the MCM course, learners should be able to evaluate local situations to ensure an ‘all hazards’ approach is followed, as stated by WHO. The training aims to enable hospitals to provide the best care during critical situations when many people need treatment simultaneously.
Doubts Revealed
WHO Academy -: WHO Academy is a part of the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides training and education to improve health services worldwide.
Mass Casualty Management (MCM) -: Mass Casualty Management (MCM) is a way to handle situations where many people are injured or sick at the same time, like during a big accident or disaster.
AIIMS Delhi -: AIIMS Delhi stands for All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. It is one of the top hospitals and medical schools in India.
Training of Trainers (TOT) -: Training of Trainers (TOT) is a program where people are trained to become trainers themselves, so they can teach others what they have learned.
emergency units -: Emergency units are special parts of hospitals where doctors and nurses treat people who need immediate medical help, like in accidents or sudden illnesses.
resource utilization -: Resource utilization means using available resources, like medical supplies and staff, in the best way possible to help patients.
patient care -: Patient care refers to the services and treatments provided to people who are sick or injured to help them get better.
Somalia and Iraq -: Somalia and Iraq are countries in Africa and the Middle East, respectively. Experts from these countries are helping with the training program.