Health ministry, RAFO conduct massive evacuation drill in Oman

Muscat: To ensure the preparedness of the concerned authorities in the Sultanate in handling the various emergency cases particularly those involving mass casualty incidents, the Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted the emergency medical evacuation exercise (Call of Duty 2017) in the Governorate of Musandam on Tuesday.
The drill was organised by the MOH, represented by the Medical and Public Health Response Sector, in collaboration with the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO). The drill is the first-of-its-kind in the Sultanate given the fact that a number of concerned authorities took part including the National Committee for Civil Defence (NCCD), the Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Royal Oman Police (ROP), as well as the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA), the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), and the Musandam Governorate’s Office of the Ministry of Interior. Moreover, Jibreen Training Services Office, which offers.
Disasters Management programme took part in this drill. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sa’eedi, Minister of Health, a number of high-ranking officials from the MOH, Security, Military, and other civil agencies attended.
The drill was built on a range of mock scenarios. The first phase involved a fire that occurred on one of the cruise ships that was heading towards Khasab Port near the Omani coast in Musandam.
The fire led the passengers to stampede causing mass causalities. The ship sent a rescue call (SOS) to the Port’s authorities where the Authority of Civil Defence & Ambulances was the first responder to the scene. Initial management was carried out by the PACDA and cases were triaged at the port whereby the simulated casualties were transferred to Khasab Hospital and the nearby health institutions in order to receive the appropriate treatment.
In the meanwhile, the national sub-committee of Civil Defence in addition to the sub-committee of Medical and Public Health Response Sector of usandam that is represented by the Main Committee for Emergency and Health Disasters Management were activated.
The Initial assessment determined that the magnitude of the incident surpassed the available capacities of the local responding agencies and the capacity of the referral hospital and health centers of the Governorate of Musandam. Therefore, the Main committee for Emergency and Health Disasters Management of the adjoining Governorates including Al Buraimi, North Al Batinah, and A’Dhahirah were activated to back up Musandam whenever the situation demanded.
The drill was remarkably successful on all its levels and achieved the goals as planned.
On this occasion, the Minister of Health said that this drill affirmed the significance of preparation and practical executions for the
specified strategic plans, and identifying areas of weaknesses and strengths, as well as measuring the level of coordination among the responding agencies for any incidents that the Sultanate may encounter.
The significance of the drill lays in incorporating the concept of combined work between the Military, Security, and Civil Apparatus, as well as measuring the effectiveness of leadership and control system.
Moreover, it tests the competence and speed of civil response, in addition to the availability of resources and medical equipment and the various types of aircrafts used for performing such evacuations.