MoPH, WHO join hands to hold workshop for emergency teams

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), held a workshop last week for Emergency Medical Team (EMT) validation for mass gatherings initiative. The training is part of the three-year partnership between MoPH, WHO, the world football governing body, FIFA, and the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), which aims to deliver a safe and healthy event with a lasting sport and health impact."Emergency Medical Teams are defined as groups of health professionals, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, support workers, logisticians, who treat patients affected by an emergency or disaster. The workshop is part of the process of preparing national EMTs in Qatar and to discuss the applications of EMTs on mass gathering such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," explained Director of Health Emergency Department at the MoPH, Dr Mohamed al-Hajri."Mass gathering sports events, such as the World Cup, can pose health risks and pressure with potential to cause a surge in demand for healthcare that might strain the functioning of the host country's health system. An important aspect to consider in planning for these events is to ensure robust plans are in place within the healthcare system to manage any potential surge of patients numbers. This is a key part of our preparation for the World Cup and part of the health security pillar of our Healthy World Cup partnership with WHO, FIFA and SC," added Dr al-Hajri.The workshop participants included leadership and frontline healthcare professionals from different organisations including MoPH, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar Red Crescent Society, the International Centre for Sport Security, Military, Civil Defence, Lekhwiya, Police, WHO EMT Secretariat, and WHO Border Health and Mass Gathering Unit.The WHO Emergency Medical Teams Network Leader Dr Flavio Salio said: "This workshop is one of a series of training sessions we are delivering this year in collaboration with MoPH within the framework of our Healthy World Cup partnership. Through this unique collaboration, we aim to ensure effective measures are in place to deliver a safe and healthy World Cup later this year in Qatar."The interactive workshop featured a mix of short presentations, discussions and brainstorming activities facilitated by the WHO EMT Secretariat.Local and international experts presented an overview of the Emergency Medical Team experiences, highlighting the coordination mechanisms, guiding principles, standards, and achievements to date globally and in Qatar.Participants also discussed the development of a new system for external validation of EMTs deploying to manage surges in patient demand in mass gathering events.