Medical Professionals Acquire Skills in Assistance for Victims of Chemical Emergencies

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – 7 July 2017 – Medical first responders from around the world are better equipped to successfully handle emergency medical assistance for victims of chemical incidents and attacks after a training held in Madrid, Spain, from 20 to 23 June.

The training course, jointly organised by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of Spain, was designed to train medical professionals (emergency physicians, paramedics, nurses and other medical staff) on how to effectively respond to chemical incidents and attacks.

Twenty participants from 19 OPCW Member States learned about types and effects of chemical warfare agents and other toxic chemicals. They further covered all elements of a successful operation in a contaminated area, including the use of individual protective equipment, first aid and pre-hospital care for victims of chemical attacks.

This training  course will be followed by an advanced medical training for emergency physicians and other relevant medical professionals to be held in China in September 2018.  

Background 

As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

Ninety-five per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace.

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