When a medical emergency occurs, there are often only a few minutes to intervene. Effective and timely intervention is critical. Tag partnered with Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s world-class national medical emergency response service, to provide training in emergency medicine for ER doctors, ambulance drivers, paramedics and volunteers.

In Azerbaijan, Georgia, Indonesia and Ukraine, we worked with their Red Crescent and Red Cross societies to develop emergency medicine training centers to enhance emergency response capacity. In Kenya, we provided first aid training for wildlife rangers protecting rare wildlife from poachers, and provided them with first aid kits. In Ukraine, we delivered four ambulances to the Red Cross in Kyiv.

Here are some specific examples of Tag’s work:

Kenya 

The wildlife rangers in Kenya are tasked with protecting endangered species from violent poachers. Despite being distant from any hospital, many wildlife rangers are operating without having had basic first aid training. Tag provided first aid training to the rangers, so they could administer help to their fellow rangers if they were attacked or injured, as well as to any other people that might require it.

In conjunction with MDA and the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for International Development, Tag delivered first aid training for thirty rangers and provided the rangers with special first aid pouches. Subsequently, the project was extended to include other Kenyan organizations.

A large group was brought from Kenya to Israel for a two-week train-the-trainer course. 12 participants arrived from E+ Emergency Medical Services of The Kenya Red Cross, 12 from the Kenya Wildlife Service, and two, a doctor and a nurse from Kisumu district hospital.

Azerbaijan

Tag worked with the Azerbaijan Red Crescent (AzRC) to develop emergency medical capacity in both the capital, Baku, and in more isolated regions. Tag provided first aid training and refurbished and equipped a training room in the offices of the AzRC in Quba, and also funded the position of a training coordinator for the centre. Two Magen David Adom (MDA) trainers, one a Russian speaker and one a native of Azerbaijan, visited Azerbaijan in June 2009 to deliver first aid training courses. Twenty professionals participated in the advanced courses, which were held in the HQ of the AzRC in Baku.

Tag arranged for the transfer of 40 first aid kits to be used by the graduates of the courses, in the Quba center. In 2010, Tag assisted in refurbishing and equipping a training room and the provision of a first aid training course in Ismayalli. Tag also sent experts in mass casualty events, emergency medical response and volunteer management who provided training seminars.

Tag organized a month-long football tournament for youth living in the Kazakh district on the border with Armenia – a mine-risk frontline zone. Prior to the competition, the youth on all six teams participated in first aid courses, thus empowering them personally and contributing to the knowledge of emergency medicine in this neglected and dangerous region.

Ukraine

Tag’s efforts also encompassed the capital city, Kiev. Ukraine co-hosted the UEFA Football Finals this summer, and the Ukraine Red Cross received training to be fully prepared for the massive crowds that this event was sure to attract.

Tag conducted a series of training workshops in Kiev for Red Cross professionals and assisted with equipment and refurbishments for a training center at the Red Cross headquarters. First aid training was provided to 24 Ukraine Red Cross professional personnel, including paramedics, social work nurses and community nurses. Participants in the workshop in turn are training more local health care professionals/volunteers.

Tag established and equipped a small clinic in Uman, and provided a first aid training program to both build local capacity and serve the medical emergency needs of all residents of the city. The clinic is available year-round to serve the local population. Tag and MDA also donated a fully-equipped intensive care ambulance to the Ukrainian Red Cross.

The renovation transformed the clinic from floor to ceiling, including plumbing and electricity, and office and medical equipment were provided, ranging from chairs and desks to gauze and syringes. Tag also contributed to the salary of a local doctor for the clinic’s initial phase of operation.

Georgia

Tag supported the Georgia Red Cross in the delivery of a comprehensive training program over a six-month period in the Senaki region of Georgia. It involved extensive first aid training, publication and distribution of informational material and building links with community organizations. Tag also helped the Georgia Red Cross to refurbish and equip a new first aid training center at its headquarters in Tbilisi, where volunteers participate in first aid courses.

Tag and the Georgia Red Cross formally opened the First Aid Training Centre. Representatives from Tag were joined at the ceremony by His Excellency Itzhak Gerber, Israeli Ambassador to Georgia. The auspicious event also included representatives from MDA UK, ICRC, IFRC, Danish Red Cross, USAID Forecast, the Georgian Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Tbilisi Medical University, Georgian Red Cross staff and volunteers.