Before 2003, the UAE had no Advanced Life Support Paramedics to respond to emergency calls. Now there are two international training programmes available in the UAE, said Mrs Sanet J. Meyer, Paramedic Instructor, Paramedic Faculty – Health Sciences Department, Higher Colleges of Technology Abu Dhabi Men’s College, Abu Dhabi, speaking at the 8th Middle East Emergency Medical Services Conference.

“As the UAE population increases and ages, the need for ambulatory services also increases,” said Mrs Meyer. “Local statistics show that there has been a 28 per cent increase in asthma attacks and a 49 per cent increase in diabetic emergencies in the UAE. The question we need to address is whether effective paramedic training could help reduce these statistics?”

Organised by IIR Middle East, the Emergency Exhibition & Congress is taking place as part of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress (ADMC), from 17 to 19 of October 2010, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event also attracts healthcare professionals working in the Primary Healthcare, Patient Safety and Rehabilitation sectors.

According to Mrs Meyer, training is the key to effective patient management in the pre-hospital environment. Decreased response times and transport times to hospitals will be directly proportional to the number of highly skilled EMT’s in the UAE. By standardising paramedic programmes in the UAE, and providing accredited continuous training programmes to update the skills of existing paramedical staff, we can look forward to delivering best practice medicine in this crucial medical field, she says.

The 2010 edition of the Emergency Exhibition & Congress occupies 1,000sqm of the total 5,000sqm of exhibition floor bringing together a wealth of regional and international emergency service professionals and industry leaders along with product manufacturers and distributors. The event highlights the need for public and private companies, along with government agencies, to create a suitable framework for effective emergency response and disaster mitigation.

As education and training to deliver best practice medicine in all medical fields requires a multi faceted approach, the Modern Pharmaceutical Company has taken an active role in the advancement of healthcare in the UAE and is at ADMC exhibiting the latest technology in simulation used to train medical professionals.

“The third generation SimMan 3G, is the latest in the simulation world as not only is it the closest thing to an actual patient so far, but it is also a complete simulation turn-key learning solution,” says Dr Mohammed Khalesi from Modern Pharmaceutical Co. The company is engaged in importing and distributing of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, laboratory reagents, skin & beauty care products, home monitoring devices, and dietary supplements in the UAE. “This technology can be used to educate and train EMT’s and paramedics as the SimMan 3G’s durable and rugged construction provides the instructor with the flexibility to perform simulation-based education in the environment of their choice giving the instructor the peace of mind to know that they can train where they practice medicine - such as in a hospital or ambulance or even in a military combat environment.”

The SimMan 3G has normal eye reaction as the pupils constrict and dilate, and blink. It can recognise drugs injected into its system and react to them, and it can also go into seizures - all controlled by an operator’s Tablet PC that comes with a webcam to monitor the actions of the trainee.

Alongside the exhibition runs a comprehensive congress programme carefully planned to discuss current goals, review tools for implementation, and meet the challenges of new and emerging healthcare dilemmas in the region. Ten different congresses with a panel of more than 180 international speakers analyse the current best approaches for each sector involved in the congress. ADMC is the number one event in the region to offer CME (Continuing Medical Education) accreditation in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA for these areas of healthcare.

Abu Dhabi Medical Exhibition & Congress is open to all trade visitors and healthcare professionals and will continue on Tuesday 19 October, between 10am and 5.30pm. For more information about ADMC, please call +971 4 407 2743 or visit www.abudhabimed.com.>

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