The Regional Secretariat for Health, through the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service, promotes the course "Medical Response to Major Incidents" (MRMI), starting today. It aims to train health professionals for an appropriate response in case of disaster.
 
The course takes place at Belo Jardim Training Centre in Praia da Vitória and is divided into two periods, February 17-19 and February 21-23. It involves 160 participants working in the areas of protection and assistance, including Civil Protection, GNR (National Republican Guard), PSP (Public Security Police), Navy and Air Force, as well as firefighters, doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and managers.
 
This training is organized by MRMI instructors from the Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (SESARAM), coordinated by Pedro Ramos, director of the ER Services of SESARAM. It has the support of the European Society for Trauma & Emergency Surgery (ESTES).
 
Following this joint initiative, which is the result of the excellent proximity and cooperation relation between the governments of both autonomous regions, the Secretary for Health of Madeira, João Faria Nunes, visits the Azores from February 20 to 22.
 
The government official responsible for Health in the Azores and Madeira will attended the session of the period of MRMI course to take place Sunday, February 21.
 
This training features the participation of doctors and nurses from Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada, Santo Espírito Hospital in Angra do Heroísmo as well as from various Island Health Units throughout the archipelago.
 
The President of the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Azores Service, José Dias stated that this course is "clearly an asset," since all training for exceptional situations in regions such as the Azores are "relevant," namely due to the "coordination" between civil protection agents and entities with political responsibility in these situations.
 
The training provided in this course is based on an advanced simulation model designed to train the entire chain of command that comprises the following aspects: accident scene, transport, pre-hospital assistance, management of hospitals in multi-victim scenario, triage, evacuation corridors and community structure that can use in response to a multi-victim accident.