There has been a renewal and continuation of a long-standing partnership that has provided a series of medical and health training services in Anguilla free of cost, thus saving the island large sums of scarce financial resources.
The training, throughout last week, dates back to 1998. Every two years since then, Global Medical Education Training (GMET), comprising a team of mainly African-American health experts, has been including healthcare workers, at all levels in Anguilla, in its education programme.
GMET’s CEO, Mrs. Doreen Gumbs Vines, told The Anguillian newspaper that the 140 trainees from the Health Authority in Anguilla were involved in advanced training for life support; basic life support; pediatrics events life support; neonatal resuscitation and programming; as well as EMS technician certification and recertification. Two officers from the Royal Anguilla Police Force joined the EMS team at the Health Authority in attending the training.
“We are educating our trainees as to what are the latest continuations in the field of healthcare; what changes have been made; and what the scientific research is saying that we should be doing,” she stated. “Right now, it is high performance PR with changes made in pediatrics and neonatal services.”
Questioned as to how she succeeded in organising the team of medical and health experts, the GMET CEO replied: “They are my colleagues whom I have known and worked with. The National Medical Association in Washington, DC, has the largest organisation of African American physicians. That relationship of doing advanced cardiac life support, and pediatric basic life support for that organisation, gives us a pool of individuals who are committed to help in other countries…I have just used my God-given skills to be able to contact individuals who would want to help in this effort. Our organisation has grown greatly – and I am thankful to them.”
Following the end of the training on Saturday, March 7, certificates of participation in the training were presented to the trained medical and health personal.
Head of the EMS with the Health Authority, Mr. Steve McDowall, spoke on behalf of all the 140 healthcare workers, present and absent, thanking the medical experts for their great assistance. He called on his colleagues to put the knowledge they gained to good use, and to bear in mind the kindness of the visiting team in extending the free training to Anguilla over the years – and the large amount of money that the Anguilla Government and the Health Authority had saved.
Mr. McDowall was particularly grateful to Mrs. Meridith Gumbs, the Health Authority’s Human Resource Manager, for her work in coordinating the training to upgrade the skills of the health workers. He noted that it was the last time that she would be involved in the continued training programme as she would soon be retiring. He said he was moved to tears over her imminent departure and offered her his best wishes.
He proceeded to thank all who were involved in the just-concluded training and assured the visiting experts of the gratitude of all the trainees.
