The Belgian Government is calling on the country's universities to prepare their medical students for dealing with possible crisis and war situations in the future.
The Brussels Times has seen a letter sent by the Defence and Public Health ministries on 20 December to the deans of Belgium's universities to urge them to better prepare their medical students for possible "military or civil crisis situations."
"In light of the increasing global complexity and instability and the resulting need to make our healthcare more resilient and to strengthen medical civil-military cooperation," the authorities wrote that integrating certain aspects of military medicine in basic medical training would contribute to "enhanced medical preparedness and resilience."
According to the authorities, the combined expertise of the Defence Medical Service, the Public Health Ministry, the National Crisis Centre and the Food Chain Safety and Environment would offer the opportunity "to better prepare future doctors" for the challenges posed by medical situations during crisis and conflict.
Don't panic, prepare
This concerns medical care in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents, as well as principles of Damage Control Surgery and Resuscitation. It also includes the use of alternative blood products such as freeze-dried plasma and whole blood, medical ethics in disaster conditions, acute care of PTSD victims, and the organisation of the medical chain in NATO.
A government steering group has now been set up, and all universities have provided experts to look into how curricula can be reviewed and these aspects of military medicine can be integrated into basic medical programmes and specialisations.
KU Leuven's Medicine Faculty is already looking into initiatives to adjust their programmes for students who will be graduating in the next three years, the faculty's dean Chris Verslype told The Brussels Times.
While this focus already exists in specific programmes, he explained that this is mainly the case for certain elective topics and postgraduate education. "But of course, you would be preparing students for something that may never be needed. We are striking a balance between unnecessary panic and good preparation."
Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
"For example, it could be about what happens when a factory in Antwerp is bombed," Verslype said. "But it could also be about what to do if the logistics mill stops and medicines are not sufficiently available. What do you do in an acute situation regarding triage of patients, and how do you provide psychological support?"
"With its recognised trauma centre, KU Leuven is strengthening its teaching of psychological trauma support," he said. "The question is: to what extent should everyone who graduates in a healthcare profession be taught these principles?"
Verslype explained that there was no room for preparation with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, with ongoing global conflicts it is only logical to start taking these initiatives. "We have to strike a balance between creating a resilient population and being prepared for problems that will hopefully never occur."
Belgium might also have a role to play as part of NATO. "The medical chain has to be perfect. If something happens on the border of Europe, we will perhaps have a certain role to play in that NATO chain, medically."
'Forewarned is forearmed'
The universities of Ghent (UGent) and Antwerp (UAntwerpen) have already started reviewing their curricula, and VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) is considering making adjustments.
"War is a very special situation that requires much more expertise in trauma medicine, emergency medicine and orthopaedic surgery," said UAntwerpen dean Filip Lardon. "Of course, we already have very skilled doctors in these areas, but acting in conflict situations is of a different calibre and requires extra explanation for the students."
Meanwhile, the UGent's Medicine Faculty will explicitly start preparing students for "mass disasters," dean Piet Hoebeke said on Flemish radio, adding that he is not only thinking of doctors in training, but also nurses and physiotherapists.
"For a resilient population, we need healthcare in addition to the army. We want to make sure that students are aware of what can go wrong and how to best respond," he said. "Forewarned is forearmed."
