The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation, and the Environment in collaboration
with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently completed a Mass Casualty
Management Training Programme.
Fifty persons were trained, to include, Doctors, Nurses, Police, Fire Officers, Defence Force
Soldiers and Coast Guards, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, and Emergency
Medical Technicians, Officers attached to the National Office of Disaster Services, Antigua
Barbuda Airport Authority, Antigua Port Authority, and other departments within the Ministry of
Health and the government.
The training, which lasted a period of 6 days was facilitated by Peter Burgeuss of PAHO.
It focused on areas such as planning for mass casualty incidents, the alert process, scene
assessment and reporting, field organization, communication techniques, different stages of
triage, an overview of the incident command system, and psychological first aid.
In addition to the theoretical part of the course, a practical component was also included.
The persons who successfully passed the course will be provided with a Mass Casualty
Management certificate from PAHO which will be valid for three years.