BAGHDAD - NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) formally handed over the first shipment of medical training equipment to the Iraqi Military Medical School in Baghdad on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.
The equipment procured and donated by NATO, will allow continued curriculum development to align with NATO standards and greater utilisation for students in practical medical techniques to improve operational effectiveness of the Iraqi Armed Forces.
The Iraqi Military Medical School (IMMS) is located in the Bab Al-Moatham district of Baghdad, in the heart of ‘Medical City’. The school, commanded by Colonel Mohammed Baqer Ali Al-Hasani, is tasked with preparing and training military personnel and civil servants under the Ministry of Defence and Iraqi Security Forces.
NMI has been advising the school since 2019. The delivery of equipment constitutes a milestone in the partnership of NMI and IMMS on a long-term procurement project, led by NMI’s Defence Capacity-Building Office and the Medical Advisor from NMI’s Training Development Division (TDD).
Dignitaries from NMI, as well as personnel from the Iraqi Armed Forces were welcomed to the school for a handover ceremony of the first shipment of medical training equipment sourced via The HALO Trust, an NGO NATO partner.
This equipment facilitates further development of ongoing work strands between NMI and IMMS, including curriculum development, particularly NATO alignment with Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and more frequent utilisation of practical training. The equipment utility will be demonstrated during a Train-the-Trainer course for TCCC Advanced Resuscitation, which will be conducted by a Mobile Advisory Training Team from Oct. 15 to 30. Afterwards, the Iraqi instructors will be able to provide the same training across the wider Iraqi Armed Forces.
Additionally, IMMS Staff, led by Lieutenant Colonel Mouaid Al-Buhamed, provided an impressive demonstration of equipment application, underpinning theory of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the live feedback received by the instructors using an application on their phone, whilst students administer the technique.
Soon another shipment is planned by NMI and The HALO Trust, which will provide IMMS with more advanced equipment, continuing the development of key objectives.