Խաչատրյան Աշխեն 027
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MEDICAL AID PROVISION TO THE POPULATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA, COLLABORATION OF STATE GOVERNMENT BODIES
Khachatryan Ashkhen
PhD in Medicine, Associate Professor
Head of the Chair of Rescue Works,
Rescue Service and Crisis Management Educational Unit
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Educational Complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
The article examines the issues of providing medical and first aid to the population, the elimination of disaster-related medical consequences, as well as the cooperation of state government bodies in emergency situations.
The UN declared the last decade of the 20th century as “International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction”, however the number of emergencies is currently increasing all over the world.
According to the WHO, 30% of seriously injured people who were not given medical and first aid on time die one hour after the disaster, 60% after three hours, and 90% after six hours. Among those who were given first aid within 30 minutes after the injury, complications occur twice less often then among those who were given first aid later. The optimal time to provide first aid is 30 minutes after the injury, 5-7 minutes in case of respiratory arrest, and 10 minutes in case of poisoning. However, in disaster areas, appropriate conditions for providing the injured with full medical and first aid, as research has shown, almost always lack.
To summarize, it can be concluded that the activities aimed at preventing emergency situations, reducing and eliminating their medical consequences, providing medical and first aid to the population in the territory of the Republic of Armenia requires the collaboration of state government bodies, which would contribute to a more effective implementation of the above-mentioned set of measures and would result in the decrease in the number of unfavorable outcomes.
Keywords: emergency, disaster risk management, first aid, medical aid, community, region, local self-government bodies, collaboration, population awareness