Family Medical Practice holds mass casualty talk

The seminar was hosted by two globally recognised experts in disaster and emergency relief, professors Kobi Peleg and Moshe Michaelson. Both have decades of experience coping with mass casualties in Israel and around the world. They have dealt with wars, earthquakes in various field hospitals the world over.

According to Rafi Kot, founder and CEO of Family Medical Practice, mass casualties can happen at any time and, therefore preparations must be made to have immediate and effective solutions ready for any eventuality.

“We simply do not know what is around the next corner. Vietnam is a wonderful country, and has been my home for over two decades, but like anywhere else it is susceptible to an array of crises and disasters that range from transportation accidents to typhoons. We need to have our nationwide team mobilised and ready to respond to any circumstances that could lead to mass casualties,” Rafi said.

“In Vietnam, disaster preparedness is in its infancy,” said professor Peleg. “At this stage it is extremely limited, with a vast difference between cities and rural areas. Various issues have arisen locally including bus crashes and capsized boats, and we can see the nation is not very well prepared. In the past, major incidents have mostly consisted of epidemics, however, these are different in that they are more controllable than other mass casualty issues.”

Professor Michaelson said that preparedness was key in the management of mass casualty issues. 

“While a lot of hospitals in Vietnam and around the world have excellent doctors and nurses, the key to managing mass casualties is being organised in advance, in order to balance needs and available resources to minimise fatalities and maximise the care given to any and all victims,” he said.

Following best international practices, the two professors, along with Rafi and his emergency team, worked in disaster preparedness and vulnerability analysis for Vietnam including pre-hospital management and the development of a disaster preparedness system for the country.

Family Medical Practice is the first foreign-operated, multi-disciplinary medical provider in Vietnam. It opened in Hanoi in 1994 and now operates five modern clinics based in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City.