Managing responsibilities for effective pre-hospital care

play a vital role in emergency cases to provide patients who have been involved in accidents, emergencies or other crises with specialist care and treatment. Recently Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) in collaboration with its Australian partner, Paramedical Services Pty Ltd from New South Wales hosted An International Paramedic Symposium focusing on Empowering Paramedics Globally.

The event, in support of the National Association of Paramedics Malaysia, featured several local and international industry leaders from the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. It aimed at helping the National Association of Paramedics towards elevating industry practices in the country.

As part of the symposium, a memorandum of agreement was also inked with Paramedical Sciences Pty Ltd on a dual award Diploma for Paramedics. The partnership is an effort to upscale and strengthen the paramedical industry in producing graduates who meet global standards and practices.

This programme provides students with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s fully accredited diploma and the nationally recognised Australian Skills Quality Authority’s approved vocational diploma.

CUCMS has been running the Paramedical Sciences diploma programme for the past 10 years.

CUCMS president Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Razak said the symposium is a great platform to better improve health care systems in providing top niche, world class medical treatment.

“As part of the integrated health care spectrum, paramedics must be wellequipped and prepared at all times to handle emergency situations professionally,” he said.

At the symposium, Paramedical Services Australia (PSA) director Dr Peter Mangles spoke on issues relating to international paramedics, indicating the He stressed the importance of managing paramedic responsibilities effectively to ensure patients receive the required treatment and temporary relief before obtaining treatment from specialised doctors.

Mangles, who holds registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and is also a registered nurse and a qualified intensive care paramedic, has had the opportunity to work in numerous countries as a senior health care executive He has operated ambulance and retrieval services in Australia and Indonesia, and was responsible for the delivery of primary occupational health and emergency pre-hospital care for more than 50 offshore drilling assets in the North Sea, the UK.

PSA managing director Garry Mikhail spoke on the international paramedic context pertaining to pre-hospital care among paramedics. He emphasised the significance of a paramedic in providing effective pre-hospital care and the adequacy of knowledge required for the paramedic to provide the best care and treatment for patients.

A graduate from the Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Health Science (Pre-Hospital), Mikhail has a keen interest in pre-hospital care and aeromedical retrieval which was consolidated over 40 years in Pre-Hospital Health Care, with the Royal Australian Navy and the New South Wales Ambulance Service, as an Intensive Care Special Casualty Access Team Paramedic. He is currently a lecturer for the Bachelor of Health Science (Pre-Hospital Care) and Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) programmes at Charles Sturt University and the Australian Catholic University.

Participants also attended sessions by other renown experts — the best and brightest in areas related to demand and needs of the society in a health care setting, definition of paramedic job and description skills, emergency response of ambulance (medical and trauma), research presentations and much more.