In an international academic partnership to enhance the preparedness of health institutions and qualify first responders in accordance with a unified national framework and global standards.
Abu Dhabi, October 13 – The UAE National Program for Medical Preparedness and Response (“Jahiziyah”) has announced the launch of the National “Train-the-Trainer” Program in Emergency, Disaster, and Crisis Medicine. This initiative—the first of its kind—aims to cultivate a cadre of certified trainers from various government and private sector entities across the country. Conducted in collaboration with international academic partners, the program seeks to prepare and qualify national personnel specialized in medical training, while enhancing the capabilities of health institutions and first response teams to prepare for and efficiently manage emergencies, disasters, and crises in line with international best practices and standards.
The launch of this program aligns with “Jahiziyah’s” initiatives to develop a sustainable national system for specialized medical training and to invest in national talent. It aims to prepare an elite group of qualified trainers capable of transferring knowledge, expertise, and practical skills to healthcare professionals and field response teams, thereby contributing to improved medical response efficiency and strengthened proactive preparedness across health institutions. It is worth noting that the UAE’s national medical preparedness and response program, “Jahiziyah,” was launched in 2020. Its objective is to build and enhance health preparedness within hospitals and medical institutions and to elevate the capabilities of “first line of defense” responders—including ambulance and medical teams, firefighting, rescue, and civil defense units, as well as special operations, security, police, and emergency personnel.
The program relies on a unified, integrated national system for training, qualification, and medical response. This system is built on collaboration among health institutions and civil, security, and military agencies, and is underpinned by partnerships and training/academic accreditations with over 20 leading global educational institutions, university hospitals, and specialized medical centers. These efforts facilitate knowledge transfer, the localization of expertise, and the standardization of training in line with international best practices, benefiting more than 20,000 first-line responders from the UAE’s civil and military sectors.
The new national program targets physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency technicians, and health crisis and disaster management personnel, alongside field response teams. It offers specialized training pathways covering major incident and mass casualty management, medical triage, command and control, response to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards, medical evacuation, hospital preparedness, and health resource management during crises. The program employs an educational methodology that combines academic lectures, practical workshops, field training, and advanced medical simulation. It also equips participants with skills in medical education, training program design, scenario management, and competency assessment, ultimately preparing trainers capable of delivering specialized training programs within healthcare institutions and field settings.
Dr. Adel Abdullah Al-Shamri Al-Ajmi—CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative, Head of the UAE Doctors Initiative, and CEO of the “Jahiziya” (Readiness) program—emphasized that the program’s launch marks a significant step toward building sustainable national training capabilities in emergency, disaster, and crisis medicine. He noted that investing in trainer preparation is a cornerstone for enhancing the health sector’s readiness and its ability to manage future risks and challenges.
He stated that since its launch in 2020, “Jahiziya” has been working to develop an integrated national system for building healthcare and field response capabilities. This system focuses on qualifying hospital staff, enhancing the capabilities of field first responders, and standardizing training and response methodologies across health, ambulance, security, and civil defense agencies. The goal is to achieve seamless integration between in-hospital medical response and pre-hospital care.
He added that the new program goes beyond the direct training of healthcare personnel; it aims to cultivate a cadre of elite national trainers capable of training increasing numbers of staff in healthcare institutions and first response teams. By transferring knowledge, skills, and expertise across various entities, the program seeks to ensure sustainability and multiply the impact of training at the national level. He explained that the program leverages international expertise and academic partnerships to develop training curricula, practical applications, and simulation exercises, focusing on leadership, decision-making, resource management, and institutional coordination during emergencies, disasters, and crises.
He noted that the initiative contributes to building a national network of trainers specializing in emergency, disaster, and crisis medicine. This network is capable of delivering sustainable training programs within hospitals, healthcare institutions, training academies, and field response agencies, adhering to standardized scientific curricula and internationally recognized training standards tailored to each program’s requirements.
Professor Roberto Migavero commended the “Jahiziyah” initiative for developing an integrated national model for specialized medical training. He emphasized that investing in “training the trainers” yields a sustainable, multiplier effect, contributing to enhanced training quality, improved medical response efficiency, and greater institutional capacity to handle future crises and disasters.
He noted that this partnership offers an opportunity to strengthen scientific and academic collaboration between UAE and European institutions in fields such as disaster medicine, health crisis management, and medical simulation, as well as to facilitate the exchange of expertise and the implementation of joint educational and research programs.
He further stressed that building an effective disaster response system begins with preparing qualified trainers who possess the knowledge, experience, and ability to transfer skills to others, noting that investment in education and training represents a long-term commitment to saving lives and bolstering the resilience of health systems.
The launch of this program builds upon “Jahiziyah’s” ongoing efforts to develop an integrated specialized medical training ecosystem. These efforts include preparing medical response teams, conducting simulation programs and field exercises, and forging local and international academic and professional partnerships—all aimed at enhancing national readiness and embedding a culture of preparedness and proactive response. Program organizers emphasized that the next phase will focus on expanding “train-the-trainer” programs, attracting skilled healthcare and field personnel from various institutions, and developing specialized training pathways that foster knowledge dissemination and the localization of expertise. The goal is to build a sustainable national system capable of keeping pace with future changes and challenges in the fields of emergencies, disasters, and crises.
The program embodies the “Jahiziyah” (Readiness) initiative’s strategic shift—moving beyond direct training of healthcare personnel to the preparation of national trainers capable of multiplying training impact and broadening the beneficiary base. This approach strengthens integration between healthcare institutions and first-response agencies, contributing to the creation of a unified national system for medical readiness, response, and the protection of lives.
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