By Sim YH –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, OCT 7 – The Ministry of Health celebrated its recognition as an International Training Center (ITC) of the American Heart Association (AHA) starting from February 24 at the opening ceremony which took place at Dewan Al-‘Afiah, Ministry of Health, today.
Present as the guest of honor at the ceremony was the Minister of Health, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar.
Also present were Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Haji Maswadi bin Haji Mohsin; Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary (Professional), Ministry of Health, Dr Hajah Rafidah binti Haji Gharif, senior officers and staff from the Ministry of Health.
In his welcome speech, the Director of Hospital Services and Chairman of the National Resuscitation Board, Dr Hajah Lailawati binti Haji Jumat stated that the inauguration of the training center is an important landmark in the Ministry of Health’s ongoing commitment to improve standards and resuscitation training in Brunei.
The recognition will also ensure the AHA provider courses Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is delivered according to international standards, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills needed in critical situations.
Looking ahead, Dr Hajah Lailawati said there is a desire to extend the training opportunities to health care professionals from private institutions that collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health.
The initiative, he commented, intends not only to strengthen the healthcare workforce in the country but also to welcome international participants, fostering a culture of excellence in cross-border resuscitation training.
Meanwhile, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham in his speech emphasized that AHA ITC plays a critical role in improving the skills of healthcare professionals, ensuring high standards of care, improving patient outcomes and fostering a culture of excellence in the country’s healthcare system.
The ceremony also featured a video speech by AHA International Senior Vice President, Christopher D’ Esposito and a keynote speech by AHA Regional Director for Asia Pacific and China, Alina Zhuang.
The milestone achieved by the Ministry of Health allows the relevant ministry in collaboration with the AHA Regional Training Faculty to launch the Program Train-the-Trainers (ToT) which focuses on improving the resuscitation training capabilities of healthcare professionals.
The program includes essential courses such as the Training Center Faculty Course (TCF) and BLS & ACLS Provider and Instructor Essentials.
Accordingly, 11 senior clinicians from various specialties will undergo Training Center Faculty (TCF) training to become members of the Ministry of Health’s ACLS and BLS ITC Faculty.
The initiative aims to build on existing expertise by equipping them with advanced instruction methodologies specific to the AHA program, enabling them to conduct AHA BLS and ACLS courses Instructor effectively in addition to further developing the capacity of local teaching staff.
After completing the TCF training, 17 health care professionals, mostly nurses and paramedics who currently serve as teaching staff in-housewill participate in the BLS and ACLS Instructor Course.
The initiative aims to expand the team of AHA-accredited Heartsaver, BLS and ACLS instructors by training more professionals from the ministry’s healthcare staff, adding to the current 29 certified instructors.
The training will be conducted at the newly renovated National Resuscitation Center designed to support high quality resuscitation education. Following the ToT Program, the Ministry of Health’s ITC will launch an AHA-accredited ACLS and BLS Provider Course at the end of 2024 that will recognize healthcare professionals as ACLS and BLS providers.
