Creating Pathways for Better Medical Response in Emergencies - The ICRC in New Delhi

Every year, the commemoration of the Battle of Solferino – on June 24 – is a reminder of Henry Dunant’s humanitarian service to those thousands of wounded people in 1859 who urgently needed medical assistance. It was the first-aid provided by him that saved hundreds of lives at Solferino.

In any emergency or crisis situation, the key to saving a person’s life lies in the provision of timely and effective casualty care. But not all medical staff are trained and organised to deal with an influx of patients who are in need of life resuscitation and immediate trauma management – and this can be true even in places with well-equipped medical facilities.

To help create these pathways and systems, the ICRC conducts trauma courses and seminars across the world for medical staff – including surgeons, technicians as well as administrative officials. They are trained in dealing with accident victims, disaster survivors, as well as those suffering from weapon wounds.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the ICRC has been conducting Basic Life Support and Emergency Room Trauma Courses (ERTC) for many years – 6,000 first responders have been trained till now. This year, the ICRC conducted the ERTC along with the Weapons Wounded Surgical Seminar. Dr Harald Veen, Chief Surgeon at the ICRC, explains the fundamentals of why these trainings are so important and how capacity building can improve the already existing services and make emergency response more effective.