TEHRAN – A total of 50 health officials from across the country participated in a five-day workshop on urban warfare and health system preparedness.
The workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from October 4th to 9th.
Health officials received special training to strengthen preparedness and response to emergencies that arise during urban conflicts, UNICEF’s website said in a press release on November 10.
The training is part of UNICEF’s Conflict Preparedness Initiative. The main goal is to enable Iran’s health system to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies arising from urban conflict situations.
Health officials and emergency coordinators from hospitals and health networks attended the workshop to learn how to plan and prepare for conflict situations, continue essential health services during crises, respond to high demand for emergency and additional health services in urban conflict situations, and build stronger, more resilient health systems that enable rapid recovery.
This workshop was the first of four events planned. Two further training sessions will be held in the coming months, followed by a special ‘Train the Trainer’ (ToT) workshop. This will create a group of experts who can train more medical staff across the country.
Strengthening emergency health response
In an effort to ensure that Iran’s health system is strong and ready to protect everyone, especially the most vulnerable, in the event of a crisis, UNICEF has procured portable tents and rapid response backpacks.
This is a step toward ensuring access to health care for children, women, and anyone else who needs it during disasters and emergencies. According to a press release on the UNICEF website on November 4, UNICEF is focusing on two projects that will provide immediate assistance to people.
When an earthquake or flood occurs, regular medical clinics can be damaged. To solve this problem, UNICEF is purchasing a special, easy-to-use primary health care (PHC) emergency portable tent.
Here’s why these tents are important:
Care for all: Specially set up to ensure people continue to have access to basic health care, support pregnant women and even assist with childbirth.
Ready to use: Lightweight and designed for quick setup in remote or hard-to-reach locations.
Complete clinic in a tent: Each tent is fully equipped like a small hospital unit. It can provide essential medical services to around 200 people every day.
They were tested! The idea worked well after the Kermanshah earthquake and 10 tents have now been delivered to different areas.
Quick action backpack for health teams
Emergencies can also cause rapid spread of disease (epidemics). To stop this, UNICEF has procured rapid response backpacks.
These backpacks allow health teams to:
Become a rapid diagnostician: Contains tools and equipment to quickly investigate disease outbreaks and determine their causes.
Provide first aid: We have critical supplies to provide immediate first aid and basic care to those affected.
Go Anywhere: Lightweight and easily portable, healthcare workers can quickly reach people in remote areas, even if clinics are broken down.
Stay on the job: This allows healthcare workers to continue providing care and looking for problems for several days without having to return to the main clinic.
UNICEF is ensuring these quick-action backpacks reach health teams and will also train staff on how best to use the backpacks.
MT/MG