Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is organising a 10-day Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) course in Beirut, Lebanon, in co-operation with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), Lebanese Red Cross and Qatar University.
The purpose of this course is to improve the field work of local, regional and international relief organisations, ensuring immediate health intervention to control diseases and epidemics in accordance with ethical and humanitarian standards.
The course is being attended by 30 relief specialists from 10 countries, together with lecturers and trainers from national societies and international organisations, mainly ICRC.
In co-operation with ICRC and University of Calgary in Qatar, QRCS had organised three versions of this course in 2011, 2012, and 2013, with a total of 76 participants.
QRCS is the only organisation accredited by ICRC to hold this course in the Mena zone. It is the only Arabic-speaking version of the course, which has been held in English worldwide since its inception in 1986, according to a statement.
In his opening remarks, ICRC senior medical adviser Dr Paul Bouvier said: “This course seeks to develop the technical and professional capacity of health emergency workers in order to enhance their crisis response across the board.”
Dr Bouvier stressed the importance of sharing experience, success stories and challenges, as well as adopting ethical decision-making, to meet the needs while observing humanitarian and professional principles.
Fouad Bawaba, ICRC senior communication officer, thanked those who helped translate the documents of the course, held in Latin America, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Describing the course as an advanced professional training needed for the region, the official added: “We will continue to co-operate with QRCS and other national societies in this regard.”
Omar Katerj, head of the QRCS office in Lebanon, said the course is compatible with QRCS’s strategy of crisis preparedness, especially in the Mena zone, through investment in
response capacity building.
“Our goal is to create a culture of shared experience, preparedness and timely and effective action skills. We hope the certificates of this course will testify to the preemptive awareness
pursued by QRCS.”
This course is part of QRCS’s year-round training programme to build health capacity across Qatar and the region. It covers a wide range of topics, including planning, food security, public health, epidemic management, healthcare systems, the International Humanitarian Law, refugee protection, psychological support, shelter and camp management.