Griffith University and the Maldives Ministry of Health recently launched the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded Australia Awards Short Course “Paramedicine Skills Development” in the city of Male in Maldives.
The Short Course was launched in July, where the 25 participating registered nurses and ambulance drivers from Maldives hospitals were welcomed by the Hon Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the Maldives Minister of Health.
Collaborating with the Maldives Ministry of Health, Griffith Health and the Griffith University International Business Development Unit are leading the management and delivery of the Short Course.
Australia Awards are prestigious international Scholarships, Fellowships and Short Courses that offer the next generation of global leaders an opportunity to undertake short-term study, research and professional development opportunities in support of key development and foreign affairs priorities.
Designed to build the skills, knowledge and aptitude of participants in their roles as critical care attendants and emergency first responders, the Maldives Ministry of Health has highlighted this as a priority within its Health Master Plan 2006-2015.
With strategic actions aimed at improving the availability and skillset of health professionals in the Maldives, this Short Course will help achieve their Ministry of Health’s goal of ‘ensuring all citizens have equitable and equal access to comprehensive primary health care’.
Mr Duncan McConnell, Course Leader, Mr Tharindu Dushyantha, Paramedicine Training Specialist, and Mr Benedikt Jagmann, Course Coordinator, recently travelled to the Maldives to formally welcome the participants in a welcome ceremony on June 10.
Helping deliver a three-day session of consultations and workshops for participants, Mr Jagmann says the Short Course will be the first of many training and professional development activities coming up in the next six months.
“The nurses and ambulance drivers involved in this Short Course will be involved in a variety of activities which will help further develop their skills as emergency first responders in their country,” he said.
“This Short Course will provide the opportunity for the participants to learn about the latest best practice in paramedicine as well as apply that newly learned knowledge in practical training with the latest paramedicine equipment.
“Participants can learn directly from Griffith’s paramedicine specialists Mr Duncan McConnell and Mr Tharindu Dushyantha to further their knowledge and build capacity.”
Participants will be involved in a range of activities and training courses including first aid training, basic paramedic training, the education in the administration of medication and more.
Leveraging their valuable insights gained into the Maldives’ emergency first response capacity in this trip, Mr Duncan McConnell and Mr Tharindu Dushyantha will now take the lessons learned to design a bespoke three-week course, tailored to the needs and context of the Maldivian pre-hospital emergency care.
The three-week course will be held in the Maldives in late September before the Australia Awards Short Course concludes with an online component in November.
To find out more about Australia Awards, visit DFAT’s website.
