Ministry of Health Launches Global Summit on Wilderness Emergency Medicine

Kuwait – The Ministry of Health launched today, Wednesday, the health conference held under the title “Global Summit on Wilderness Emergency Medicine,” organized by the Council of Emergency Medicine Departments and featuring a select group of experts, researchers, and specialists from within and outside the country. In a speech delivered on behalf of the conference’s patron, Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs at the ministry, Dr. Al-Mundhir Al-Hasawi, emphasized that the conference represents an important scientific milestone for highlighting the latest developments in this vital specialty. He explained that wilderness emergency medicine extends healthcare services beyond medical facilities to provide care in deserts, seas, islands, and remote areas, amid challenges related to limited resources. Al-Hasawi added that the ministry has placed significant emphasis on developing the specialty of emergency medicine, which has included air ambulance services, the establishment of emergency centers and advanced first-aid points in remote and border areas, as well as the launch of comprehensive emergency and accident health centers, such as those in Al-Mutlaa and Sabah Al-Ahmad, and centers at land and sea border crossings. He noted that this specialty covers a wide range of activities, including sea voyages, camping, land-based activities, and diving, alongside managing their various risks such as heat stress, dehydration, scorpion and snake bites, poisoning, and asphyxiation, as well as playing an active role in search and rescue operations and medical evacuations. For his part, Regional Director of Wilderness Medicine and Conference Chairman Dr. Nawaf Dahrab, in a similar address, affirmed that the Global Summit on Wilderness Emergency Medicine represents an important scientific platform for exchanging expertise and discussing the latest developments and challenges in this field. He clarified that wilderness emergency medicine is not limited to hospital-based treatment but combines medical knowledge, rescue skills, and the ability to make difficult decisions in exceptional circumstances. (End) M.N.M. / A.M.H.