Organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) a three-day seminar for surgeons on weapon wounds and management of mass casualties is being launched in Dushanbe tomorrow.
According to the ICRC Mission in Dushanbe, the seminar will bringing together 27 surgeons-practitioners from areas potentially prone to emergency situations or contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO). Participants includes surgeons from Khatlon, Sughd, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and districts subordinate to the center representing Tajik Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Committee for National Security.
The seminar will be facilitated by two ICRC surgeons with sound experience in war and emergency surgery and serves as a platform for exchanging experiences and best practices. The event is reportedly also an occasion for the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan (RCST) to share its experience of providing First Aid Training in cases of emergencies.
"This seminar will focus on surgery for people injured by weapons, together with the management of mass casualties", explained Asa Molde, ICRC senior surgeon. Surgeons must be well prepared to work in any emergency and be familiar with the proven techniques that save lives and limit the long term effects of injuries. The ICRC has gained international recognition in the surgical management of emergency-related trauma and seeks to share this knowledge with medical specialists all over the world."
This event, organized by the ICRC with the support of the Ministry of Health follows the previous seminars, held in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 which brought together surgeons from different Tajik ministries and agencies.
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. The organization also promotes knowledge and information on international humanitarian law and its observance in Tajikistan.
