No humanitarian demining team tasked to travel and work on demining sites and in remote locations can do so without the essential presence of a dedicated National trauma trained medic.
Project Masam currently has 40 medics deployed in Yemen: 32 National demining team medics, two National Medical Co-ordinators (headquartered in Ma’rib and in Aden) and three International medics, who are assisted by three National medics.
The role of the International medics is to train, coach and mentor the National medics and provide any other medical support to Masam as may be required.
“The environment in which they work can be very challenging as well as the types of injuries they encounter is what differentiates a demining medic from medics who may work in other sectors,” said Dr Julian Spaans, Senior Medic for Project Masam.
“A patient who is involved in a mine accident generally has severe life-threatening injuries which often includes traumatic amputations and severe internal injuries and our medics need to always be prepared to treat and stabilise such patients out in the field.”
The teams often work in relatively isolated areas, so Level 2 (high dependency unit) or 3 hospitals (intensive care) are often some distance away from the accident site.
“Our medics often do not have the luxury of calling on additional medical support and they have a huge responsibility in doing all that they can in getting the patient to hospital in a relatively stable condition,” Spaans added.
Whilst Project Masam’s demining medics are already qualified trauma nurses or medical assistants, with many having previous experience with working in hospital ERs, they are trained in advanced life support skills by the International medics once they have joined Masam to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to administer lifesaving treatment to any casualties in the field.
Refresher training is provided to the team medics on an annual basis to ensure they are up to date with the latest international medical treatment protocols. The latest refresher training was delivered after the Eid Al Fitr holiday, in May 2021.
“We have unfortunately had accidents involving our demining teams resulting in deaths and serious injury, and even our own team medics have been seriously injured in some of these accidents,” Spaans said.
“We had an unfortunate incident of one of our medics suffering severe injuries to his lower extremities after the emergency vehicle he was travelling in drove over an anti-tank mine. We were lucky to have another demining team working close by the accident site and that team medic was able to assist and treat the injured medic until he arrived at hospital.”
The injured team medic is currently still recovering from his injuries.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, demining teams pressed on with their life-saving work, with all Masam medics undergoing Covid-19 awareness training, which included infection prevention and control procedures.
Since the outbreak, Masam medics have implemented infection prevention and control procedures for both bases in Ma’rib and Aden as well as the teams out in the field. Medics based in the Ma’rib and Aden bases are responsible in ensuring that these procedures are carried out at all times.
The team medics are responsible in ensuring that these infection prevention and control procedures are followed at all times by the demining teams out in the field. Medical staff also educated the local population on best way to protect themselves and their families.
A number of its staff, both National and International, has been vaccinated whilst in Yemen.
