Disaster medicine training
The samusocialInternational
programme got underway in Yaoundé in March 2000. Its purpose
was to provide professional instruction in disaster response management
for use in Cameroon as well as major African cities. To date, 27
students have taken part in the programme, which offers training
identical to that provided in French universities.
A programme supported
by numerous partnerships
The project was the result of a collaboration
between institutions in France and Cameroon. Working in partnership
with the l'Université de Paris XII Val-de-Marne, samusocialInternational
created a two-year degree programme at the Université de
Yaoundé I. The curriculum included seminars led by French
and Belgian experts along with academic study and workshops in
applied training, and was designed specifically to help students
evaluate potential disasters in Cameroon and acquire the necessary
expertise to take effective action.
A large-scale simulation exercise
At the Cambrai air base in northern
France, the 27 Cameroonian students took part in a simulation
exercise designed to test their newly acquired skills. Organizers
devised a scenario of a bus accident and subsequent fire on a
major roadway. The goal of the exercise was to show the importance
of effective coordination on the ground to save lives. Emergency
response teams from Amiens, Lille, Créteil and the Créteil
Medical School took part in the exercise, which proved a success—and
demonstrated the relevance of the training given to participants.
In subsequent weeks, samusocialInternational presented the Cameroonian
students with a diploma at the Medical School of Yaoundé,
in recognition of their professional response to situations requiring
expertise in disaster medicine.
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