Ministry of Health launches the Global Summit on Wilderness Emergency Medicine

The Ministry of Health launched, on Wednesday, the health conference held under the theme “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. Ahmad Al-Awadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs 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 beyond medical facilities, providing care in deserts, at sea, on islands, and in remote areas amid resource constraints. He added that the Ministry has placed great emphasis on developing the field of emergency medicine, including air ambulance services, establishing advanced emergency centers and first-aid stations in remote and border areas, and launching integrated emergency and trauma health centers such as those in Al-Mutlaa and Sabah Al-Ahmad, as well as centers at land and sea border crossings. He noted that this specialty covers a wide range of activities, including maritime trips, camping, outdoor activities, and diving, alongside managing their associated risks such as heat stress, dehydration, scorpion and snake bites, poisoning, and asphyxiation, as well as playing an active role in search and rescue and medical evacuation operations. For his part, Regional Director of Wilderness Medicine and Conference Chairman Dr. Nawaf Dahrab, in a similar speech, 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 specialty. 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.