Hospitals must be prepared to respond rapidly and effectively when large-scale emergencies or disasters cause a surge of patients. To build this preparedness, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan, the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan and WHO/Europe are organizing a 3-day training workshop in Almaty focused on strengthening mass casualty management (MCM) capacities and integrating them into hospital emergency response planning.
The training will begin with a comprehensive refresher of MCM principles across the system, hospital and pre-hospital levels. Participants will review coordination structures, surge capacity planning, patient flow management and triage systems used during mass casualty incidents. They will explore how hospitals fit into the wider emergency response system, and how effective linkages between pre-hospital services, referral networks and hospital teams can save lives during crises.
Building on earlier Hospital Safety Index training, participants will then learn how these MCM principles can be incorporated into hospital emergency response plans to ensure hospitals can maintain essential services while managing a sudden influx of patients. The workshop will combine presentations, group work and a scenario-based tabletop exercise to allow participants to apply what they have learned in a simulated emergency.
The workshop will allow key stakeholders in Kazakhstan to identify the next steps for hospital emergency preparedness and will lay the groundwork for the further development of hospital emergency response plans in the country.
The training will bring together approximately 30 participants from across Kazakhstan, ensuring representation from all regions and key emergency response stakeholders. Each oblast will be represented by a designated hospital coordinator, along with participants from major hospitals in Almaty.
The workshop is designed for multidisciplinary participation by those involved in hospital administration and emergency preparedness, such as hospital administrators, emergency physicians and disaster coordinators.
This training reflects a broader national effort to strengthen hospital readiness and resilience to mass casualty incidents in Kazakhstan.