The training, made possible with funding through the U.S Southern Command Humanitarian Assistance Programme and coordinated through the Military Liaison Office of the U.S Embassy, concludes on Saturday with a graduation ceremony starting at 15:00 hrs at the Grand Coastal Inn, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Participants were drawn from the Ministry of Health, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Fire Service, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), the Guyana Red Cross, the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade of Georgetown and New Amsterdam, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (GIOG) and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation.

According to a US Embassy release, the training is provided by five U.S medical trainers from the U.S Virgin Islands, who arrived here on March 27 to tutor the Guyanese Medical First Responders.

In addition to providing advanced instruction on Medical First Response, it is also to enable first responder medical personnel to provide advanced first aid to stabilise a patient at the scene of an accident.

The training is intended too, to enhance the capability of Guyana to respond to medical emergencies and develop friendship and cooperation between the Guyanese hosts and their U.S counterparts.

The release noted that the U.S Southern Command provides such training to partner nations throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The event is all part of the United States Government’s efforts to assist the Government of Guyana (GOG) to provide health care in Guyana.

Other completed or proposed programmes include the donations of medical equipment and supplies; deployments of medical personnel to treat patients; the provision of continuing medical education for doctors and disease surveillance; and monitoring programmes.

Additionally, USAID is involved in the provision of assistance to combat HIV/AIDS and Peace Corps Volunteers are involved in health education projects throughout Guyana.