DUSHANBE, June 28, 2012, Asia-Plus – On Thursday June 28, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched a three-day seminar bringing together 37 surgeons-practitioners from hospitals located in the areas potentially prone to emergency situations or contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO), the ICRC Office in Tajikistan reported.
Surgeons from Khatlon and Sughd provinces, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and Districts Subordinate to the Center representing Tajik Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, Committee for Emergency Situations, Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Committee for National Security are taking part in the event.
The seminar is facilitated by two ICRC senior surgeons, who between them have 25 years of experience in war and emergency surgery, and will serve as a platform for exchanging experiences and best practices. It will be also an occasion for Tajikistan’s Red Crescent Society (RCS) to share its experience of providing fist aid in emergencies.
“This seminar will focus on surgery for people injured by weapons, together with the management of mass casualties,” explained Valery Sasin, ICRC senior surgeon. “Surgeons need to be well-prepared to respond to all kinds of emergencies, through familiarity with tried and tested techniques that can save lives and limit the long-term consequences of injuries. The ICRC has gained international recognition in the surgical management of emergency-related trauma and seeks to share this knowledge with medical circles all over the world.”
This event, organized by the ICRC with the support of the Ministry of Health follows a previous seminar, held in 2011, which brought together 50 surgeons from different Tajik ministries and agencies. This year, three surgeons from Kazakhstan have joined their Tajik colleagues.
The ICRC has been working in Tajikistan since 1992 and carried out a major humanitarian operation during the 1992-1997 civil war. More recently, the organization has supported the mine risk education program and other activities of the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan. In 2012, the ICRC has launched a project to provide micro-economic grants to most vulnerable mine victims and their families. The ICRC, through its Special Fund for Disabled, also supports the Dushanbe orthopedic centre, which provides physical rehabilitation services for mine victims and other disabled people. In addition, the organization promotes international humanitarian law in the country.
