DPRK: officers trained on management of blast trauma

Pyongyang / Beijing (ICRC) – A three-day course on Blast Trauma Care ends in Pyongyang today. Organized by the ICRC in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) and the DPRK Red Cross Society, this course is designed to train the health personnel, for the provision of proper treatment and medical support to victims of Explosives Remnants of War, including to Explosives Remnants of War technicians, in the event of blast casualties.

The course provides participants with a review of the basics of blast trauma management, through short interactive lectures and in particular through exposing each participant to practical demonstrations of emergency assessment and resuscitation of life-threatening trauma, such as an obstructed airway or a punctured lung, as well as how to deal with head or spinal trauma.

"This is the third session of the course we have organized in Pyongyang this year", said Djordje Drndarski, Head of ICRC Mission in Pyongyang. "I would like to thank our partners and I am particularly pleased with the ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Public Security and the Red Cross Society of DPRK on future joint activities. I wish to confirm that the ICRC stands ready to continue providing assistance to its DPRK partners in this important field."

A total of sixty officers from the MoPS originating from ten DPRK provinces successfully attended the courses and shown a high level of interest and active participation. Among the participants were the Director and the Vice Director of the Bomb Disposal Unit of the MoPS and also a Senior Officer from the External Affairs Department of the MoPS. The feedback provided by participants was very positive and the wish was expressed for more training in the future.

For further information, please contact:
Djordje Drndarski, Head of ICRC Mission in Pyongyang
Valery Mbaoh Nana, ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia, Beijing, tel: +86 186 0025 3392
Michael Zhang, ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia, Beijing, tel: +86 138 1003 5522
or visit our website: www.icrc.org
To preview and download the latest ICRC video footage in broadcast quality, go to www.icrcvideonewsroom.org
To find out what the ICRC is doing to put an end to attacks on health workers and patients, go to www.healthcareindanger.org
Follow the ICRC on facebook.com/icrc and twitter.com/icrc