Twenty-four participants received certificates when the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) concluded its third Mass Casualty Management Course.

Certified mass casualty managers flanked by their trainers. (Photo courtesy of the CDC)

According to a press release from the CDC, Sports Medicine, Traumatology and Emergency Medicine Specia-list Dr Earl Best of Curacao said the programme’s objective was to bring professionals and others from the relevant in-country agencies together in an environment where they could learn the procedures for effective response in a coordinated effort to save lives, in any situation where natural or manmade disasters may produce mass casualties.

Another associated objective was to facilitate the evaluation of local instructors who have been trained by PAHO so that they may be confirmed in their role and country instructors. In this regard, Officer Commanding of the GDF medical corps Captain Greasels Hinckson and Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Emer-gency Medicine Specialist, Dr Akintunde Watson MD, who are both certified by PAHO are likely to receive their confirmations. Other facilitators for the programme included Best and Captain Kester Craig of the CDC.

Learning on the MCM involved understanding the theoretical as well as practical perspectives of handling mass casualties in a disaster/emergency situation. Participants were involved in desktop exercises. They were taught communication in disaster management, emergency organisation, triaging at the first through fourth levels, evacuation procedures, field organisation and hurricane response mechanisms among other areas.

Programme coordinator Captain Craig pointed out that the overall objective of the CDC is to build Guyana’s resource capacity with regard to mass casualty management, given any sort of disaster which may occur at any location in Guyana.

Best noted that regardless of a country’s size there is really no limitation on how many instructors one should have as it was found that there can never be too many. He thanked PAHO for making the programme a reality by providing the necessary financing and commended the organisations from which the participants were drawn. The Guyana Red Cross volunteers were also thanked for their timely and critical involvement.