Photo Courtesy of Pioter Fliter-RHCC.
Terrorism is a very real concern for Nepal, so the head of one of the country’s trauma center’s traveled to Israel to learn from experts on dealing with terror casualties. Israel’s Rambam Medical Center hosted medical professionals from 20 countries last week for a two-week seminar on treating trauma victims, the ninth annual such course.
Buland Thopa, the head of a new level-one 200-bed trauma center in Nepal, sounded grateful for the lessons. A Rambam press release quoted him as saying, “In Nepal, there are numerous sources of trauma. In recent years, a major cause has been terror, as the country has been in a state of political chaos. We must also deal with natural disasters like flash floods, landslides and avalanches.”
Said the orthopedic surgeon from Kathmandu, Nepal, “So much of what we learn here will help in our center.”
While the circumstances are tragic, opportunities to apply what is taught in the Rambam seminar can happen at any time. The Rambam press release noted that among those who have attended the seminar during the last three years are medical personnel and representatives from Ministry of Health of Bulgaria, where a terror attack on a tour bus last month killed five Israelis and injured dozens.
The seminar includes simulations and tours as well as lectures. It is co-sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with Rambam.
The number of nations represented ranged from Brazil to China, and even included individuals from Muslim nations such as Indonesia. Medical professionals from the African nations of Kenya and Mozambique also were in attendance.
Alice Bittah, a head nurse in the Kenyatta National Hospital Nairobi, was quoted in the press release as saying, “We face great challenges from terror, accidents and other causes and Israel is known for its preparedness in the case of emergency incidents.
“I am learning things here that will help me to build a system that flows and strengthen our medical teams, and I enjoying every minute of it.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, August 8, 2012)