International Сooperation
Medical units project phase 3
12:02 / 12.03.2016
FACTS
Country: Armenia
Duration: September 2015 - September 2016
Budget: CHF 49‘800
Project partners:
The project is directly implemented by SDC in collaboration with
• Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (MTAES)
• Ministry of Health (MOH)
• State Medical University (MSU)
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of the project is to save lives and reduce disaster losses through improvement of medical onsite response capacities in Armenia. This will be reached through establishing a high quality system for continuous training in disaster medicine for healthcare professionals.
The project supports and triggers improvements of governmental policies and procedures in disaster response as well as strengthens the inter-agency cooperation related to disaster preparedness.
BACKGROUND
Armenia is highly prone to natural disasters, mainly earthquakes (e.g. Spitak 1988) but also landslides, floods, avalanches and man-made disasters, which can cause serious social and economic damages. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) started its support to Armenia in the aftermath of the earthquake in 1988 and since 2004 has been working with MTAES on various Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) projects, aiming at improving local and central preparedness systems.
Through the core „Ardzagank“ project in 2004-2010 a country-wide decentralized rescue system was built by providing the basic rescue training and equipment to 2’200 fire-fighters. During 2009-2014, 27 Medical Units were established, 540 healthcare professionals trained and equipped to be deployed to provide professional onsite emergency medical assistance to disaster victims in collaboration with rescue teams.
ACTIVITIES
• Definition of criteria for accreditation of institutions eligible to offer re/certification of healthcare professionals in disaster medicine
• Revision of by-laws regulating the core competences required for re/certification
• Review of the curriculum and training modules of the Medical Units project to meet requirements of re/certification
• Provision of technical support to 2 institutions eligible to offer re/certification of healthcare professionals in disaster medicine
EXPECTED RESULTS
A high-quality system for continuous training in disaster medicine for healthcare professionals including the members of the Medical Units is in place.
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Contacts:
Swiss Cooperation Office South Caucasus
The Embassy of Switzerland
Melik Adamyan Street 2/1
Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Phone:+374 10 52 98 60
Fax: +374 10 52 98 61
