The evaluation report concludes that contacts, network and international collaboration are very important to improve our emergency preparedness in the North. The international aspect of the exercise was of great value and various new collaboration agreements were discussed during Barents Rescue 2005.
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| From rescue operation. Photo S.Wiesener |
The report emphasise that, during the planning of the exercise, differences in culture, professional language and understanding of disaster and emergency medicine played an important role. These challenges were visualized during the exercise and must be considered an issue also in real situations.
The health project leader of Barents Rescue, Mr. Olaf Jacobsen, UNN, concludes that the best functioning teams were those that already had collaborated with each other and knew each others routines Those international teams that had not collaborated previously were not as successful during this exercise in the emergency situations.
Centre for International Health (SIH) hosted observers from Northern State Medical University in Arkhangelsk during the Barents Rescue Exercise in September 2005.
The Head of Department of Navy and Disaster Medicine, Dr. Igor G. Mosyagin and Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Yury Sumarokov, together with director of SIH , Solveig Wiesener, had the opportunity to follow all the different aspects of the exercise.
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| Dr. Igor Mosyagin and Mr. Bondevik. Photo S. Wiesener |
They visited rescue operations of patients from Hurtigruten to shore at Repvåg and the field hospital at Banak airport. They met Prime Minister Mr. Bondevik and his Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon Magnus at Banak and followed the Distaff (operational coordinating centre) and health workers out in the field. Dr. Mosyagin visited Norway for the first time and in an interview on Norwegian television TV2 he underlined the importance of training together internationally.
During those days it was decided to follow up this exercise with competence development and educational collaboration between Northern Norway and North- West Russia. A previous collaboration agreement between Tromsø and Arkhangelsk was expanded to include competence building in disaster and emergency medicine.
The evaluation report recommends an international conference in disaster and emergency medicine in Arkhangelsk as the first step of such a collaboration.
SIH thanks The Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes for funding the expenses for SIH and our Russian colleagues.
Please see the evaluation report.
