Following on from the successful delivery of Pre-Hospital Trauma Care (PHTC) Provider and Instructor Courses in Chennai, the FPHC were delighted to be asked to provide training in Kathmandu, Nepal by Dr Ramesh Maharjan. Dr Maharjan is an Emergency Medicine Physician and Coordinator of the Nepal Disaster and Emergency Medicine Centre (NADEM); he was a candidate on the first PHTC courses run in Chennai and subsequently completed Instructor training.
The PHTC Course faculty comprised Dr Maharjan, Dr Rob Russell, Dr Fionna Moore and Dr Christina Dale. Rob has been a key figure in the development and delivery of FPHC training in S Asia and we were fortunate that Fionna (FPHC Doctor Co-Vice Chair) and Christina (Immediate Past President of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries’ Faculty of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine) were able to add their experience and knowledge. Dr Maharjan has been a major influence in the development of emergency and disaster medicine in Nepal and brought invaluable local insight.
There were 21 candidates on the course which ran from 19 – 20 February 24; their performance on the final test moulage was particularly strong and a number were identified as having Instructor Potential. Candidates included trauma surgeons, GPs, emergency medicine physicians and postgraduate residents. As in India, the aim is to generate an in-country Instructor cadre to deliver FPHC material supported by periodic assurance visits from the FPHC. The next step will be to hold an Instructor course in Kathmandu and this will be immediately followed by a further Provider course where the newly ‘qualified’ Nepalese Instructors will deliver training with guidance and oversight.
Pre-Hospital Care (PHC) is developing in Nepal but there are significant challenges due to the topography of the country and the remote nature of many of the villages. Dr Rashmisha Maharjan of NADEM presented on some of their solutions at the PHC Workshop held in Chennai, in association with the RCSEd International Conference, in October 22. These included training individuals in remote locations on first aid and patient care priorities in trauma, cardiac and obstetric emergencies. We hope that the PHTC Course will contribute to this initiative and improve patient outcomes. The UK team were given the opportunity to see a remote clinic, and discuss the challenges, after delivering the PHTC Course.
Once again, the travel and subsistence costs for the FPHC UK team were paid by the charity Saving Lives International whose aims include strengthening disaster medicine and public health preparedness and responses in low and middle income countries (LMICs). We would like to thank their International Project Director, Dr Peter Patel, who has been a driving force in this cooperative effort.
Written by:
Dr David Bruce
Chair of Training and Standards Committee and International Development Lead FPHC RCSEd
Due to essential systems maintenance and upgrades there will be intermittent interruptions to some on-line services on Saturday 27th of February. There will be further interruption to some core services on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd of March.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
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