On behalf of the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (hereinafter “the OPCW”), the Director-General wishes to invite Member States to nominate participants for a course on the medical aspects of assistance and protection against chemical weapons, to be held in Tehran from 1 to 5 October 2018.
The course is related to assistance and protection against chemical weapons under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the Convention”), and will be jointly organised by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”).
The course has been primarily designed for medical doctors, specialised medical personnel, and medical responders involved in emergency response to chemical incidents. The course will be particularly valuable for physicians and medical professionals involved in providing hospital care to chemical casualties.
The course will address the physiological effects of chemical warfare agents, acute and chronic health effects of exposure, concepts of medical countermeasures, including antidote therapy and advanced treatment pathways, as well as the principles of mass casualty management, triage, emergency response systems, and hospital emergency plans, amongst others.
The course, which will include theoretical lectures, demonstration sessions and a practical exercise on chemical casualty management, will also facilitate the exchange of information on and experience with medical assistance and protection practices for victims of this type of incident, in line with the provisions of Article X of the Convention. The provisional programme for the course is included as Annex 1 to this Note.
Given the purpose of the course and its medical focus and technical nature, candidates will be carefully selected and should have a solid background in emergency medicine, toxicology, or health care associated with protection against chemical weapons and other toxic chemicals. They should belong to national emergency-response agencies and other institutions that deal with chemical-related incidents.