23.06.2006

Disaster and Emergency medicine – a new field of collaboration between North Norway and NW-Russia

The international conference “Emergency Medicine: Experience and Perspectives for the Development” was organised in Arkhangelsk 30.-31. May 2006. This conference was a start-up of collaboration between several different health institutions, Ministry of Defence, educational institutions as well as regional and central authorities to develop education, skills and research within the field of disaster and emergency medicine.

Solveig Wiesener

(Photo: S. Wiesener)

The Department of Military and Extreme Medicine of Northern State Medical University (NSMU) celebrated their 20^th year anniversary by inviting to an international conference presenting a broad range of topics within emergency and disaster medicine. The conference programme included talks from Russians and Norwegians about organisational systems, training of personnel at all levels, educational systems and research.

A few of the delegates and organizers (Photo: SIH)

During the exercise “Barents Rescue 2005” a closer collaboration between health professionals was initiated and further followed up by this conference, which discussed different aspects and suggestions of further common development.

Norwegian experts participated with these speeches:

Jan Due, Head Doctor, UNN: Welcome speech and “Medical Care before Hospitalization”.

Olaf Jacobsen, Project Leader, “Barents Rescue 2005”, College of Medicine and UNN:  “Barents Rescue, Experience of Medical Service”

Mads Gilbert, Professor, University of Tromsø and Head of Emergency Unit, UNN: “Hypothermia: Prevention and Therapy in the Conditions of Unexpectedness” and “Rescue training for Rural Teams”.

Raymond Teigen: Anaesthesiologist, Regional Hospital of Nordland: “Contingency Planning, Organization and Training”.

Project Coordinator Anaesthetic Nurse Trine Utkilen Sørensen and Anaesthesiologist Svein Are Osbakk, both UNN, participated at the conference and in planning groups for setting up further collaboration plans.

Valery Kopnin, Chief of the Department, EMERCOM, Arkhangelsk Regional  Headquarters (Photo: S. Wiesener)

From the Russian side there were participation from Moscow and different Oblasts in the whole country. The various institutions of rescue and disaster medicine were represented with speeches and as conference participants.

The emphasis on education and research that NSMU is putting in the emergency and disaster field is strongly supported by national authorities. From the Norwegian side the competence that the Russians have in this field is of great interest to share and to develop through common educational, training and research programmes.

(Photo: S. Wiesener)

During the conference an exercise with sea rescue was arranged. Their rescue teams, ambulances and boats were demonstrated.

One of the suggestions for further collaboration is to arrange a rescue exercise in a rural and cold area. Solovikijet Island was suggested as a location for this event. A visit to Solovkijet Island was arranged for the Russian and Norwegian leaders so that they would get to know the area better and the local challenges of the health authorities.

Leaders of the collaborating institutions (Photo: SIH)

New contacts were established and a summarizing discussion with Rector Pavel Sidorov and the Norwegian participants concluded with different possibilities for collaboration. The Centre for International Health will follow up these ideas and coordinate the network further.