50 EMTs undergo intense training to help advance EMS in Guyana

Nov 24, 2019 News

A total of 50 Emergency Medical Technicians [EMTs] were recently certified as Pre-Hospital Trauma and Life support (PHTLS) providers by faculty from the Vanderbilt Medical Center. This training activity was organized by the office of the Guyana Emergency Medical Services [EMS] in collaboration with the Guyana Fire Service.

Instructors from the Vanderbilt Medical Center with the batch of EMTs who benefited from the recent advanced training.

This comes as part of efforts to ensure that the national EMS acquires international certification for all EMTs.
The team of visiting instructors coordinated the intense training for the local EMTs over a period of four days at the East Coast Demerara Project Dawn facility.
The team is expected to return in February of next year to chart the way forward for additional training.
Dr. Zulfikar Bux, who is the National Emergency Medical Director and heads this office, stated that these EMTs are now certified to international standards, and are now more equipped to manage trauma patients in the public domain.
Dr. Bux is positive that cases where patients are injured in motor vehicle collisions, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, accidental trauma, etc, will now be more efficiently and effectively managed in the public domain by these EMTs.
“These EMTs are now advancing their skill sets and members of the public stand to benefit from them even more when they are in need,” Dr. Bux added.
PHTLS is recognized around the world as the leading continuing education programme for pre-hospital emergency trauma care. The mission of PHTLS is to promote excellence in trauma patient management by all providers involved in the delivery of pre-hospital care. PHTLS is developed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians [NAEMT] in the USA, in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma.
Dr. Bux said that he is very thankful for the support offered by the team of instructors from the Vanderbilt Medical Center. Recognising the training as a vital initiative, he shared his optimism that the team will return to continue to foster similar initiatives and support the development of the Guyana Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
According to the EMS National Director, he is also looking forward to the expansion of the EMS service so that more persons can benefit from this vital service. This is however dependent on the availability of ambulances and support resources which should be available in the coming months.