News

The Macao China Emergency Medical Team conducted their first team member training course in an effort to strengthen its capabilities as it goes through the process of international classification. The Macao Health Bureau conducted the course with support from the World Health Organization Emergency Medical Team Initiative, the Australian Medical Assistance Team, and the humanitarian consultancy firm, Training in Aid.

The five day training introduced important elements in an international response—particularly about important concepts on ethical humanitarian practice in the context of a disaster requiring health care assistance.

“It’s very helpful to have this support and collaboration from our partners. We are very grateful and more confident that our team will be ready for its upcoming EMT classification and in turn be better prepared to respond to emergencies both nationally and internationally when required” said Dr Lei Wai Seng, Team Lead, Macao China Emergency Medical Team.

International level interaction with other health actors, including the WHO, the receiving Government’s  health bureau and first responders  was covered. Considerations on logistics and water sanitation and hygiene before during and after deployment was also highlighted with great support from the Lead Logistician of the Australian Medical Assistance Team. Skills vital to safe deployment in disasters, including personal safety and security, navigation and communication skills were taught, all culminating in a simulation exercise to apply the key concepts from the week.

The course was a collaborative effort  with the Macao Health Bureau using the common global EMT training package from the WHO EMT Initiative. The idea of the package, launched in 2017, was to empower teams to conduct an assessment of their learning needs and customize common training materials to meet those needs.

“What we’re going to see here is an increase in nationally owned training courses delivered by Ministries of Health for all EMT personnel, drawing on the very latest training methods and content available worldwide while keeping to the minimum standards needed in an EMT response. At least that’s what we hope to achieve in the coming years and that is why we’re committed to continue to roll out this package in close partnership with member states to continue to build capacity across Regions” said Dr Ian Norton, Manager of the WHO EMT Initiative and mentor to the Macao SAR, China Emergency Medical Team.

For more information on the training package and/or media queries please contact:

Chantal Claravall
Technical Officer
EMT Secretariat
claravallc@who.int