Moldova Medics Train for Disaster Response
Over a five-day period, final-year medical students, residents, and PhD students from Nicolae Testemițeanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy are undergoing training in disaster and emergency response.
A 20-member team of National Guard soldiers from North Carolina, USA, will train both students and medical faculty on providing first aid in emergencies, evacuating the wounded, and performing triage during hospitalisation.
A total of 140 students from the university's departments of orthopaedics and traumatology, anesthesiology and rheumatology, general surgery, family medicine, and neurology will be participating in the activities.
"The training program will cover theoretical lectures and practical field exercises with equipment provided by the North Carolina soldiers," said Olga Cerneșchi, professor at Nicolae Testemițeanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy. "This program includes training for faculty from the university's surgical departments, residents, and students."
The students are enthusiastic about participating in these exercises, which allow them to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world intervention procedures.
"We've come here with all our resident colleagues and young specialists to learn how to manage and provide first aid in disaster and emergency situations," said one participant. "I believe this training is invaluable in preparing us to handle various emergencies in the future."
The training is being organised by the American military in collaboration with the National Army and Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova.
Colonel Sergiu Cîrlan explains that the training will cover first aid techniques using modern equipment, medical triage procedures, and evacuation coordination from the incident site to hospitals. The aim is to familiarise medical personnel with these procedures in mass casualty situations.
"We are medical professionals - nurses and doctors from the North Carolina National Guard and International Guard," said Colonel DFan Martin from North Carolina. "We're here to train students in trauma patient management and evacuation. We'll cover mass casualty management and immediate evacuation from various locations for high-level care."
Exercises simulating real-world emergencies are also planned to take place at some hospitals throughout the country during this week.
Translation by Iurie Tataru