The aim of this training is to enhance competencies in emergency care, reinforce a joint response centered on the needs of survivors, and provide self-care tools for professionals.
Professionals from the Canary Health Service (SCS) and the Canary Emergency Service (SUC), under the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Health, along with other emergency responders, have received this training on mental health care following the Canary migration route. The training was delivered by Médicos del Mundo Canarias as part of the ERPSI-Mar project, with further editions planned for other islands.
The ERPSI-Mar project encompasses various training lines, material development, and psychosocial support for survivors and professionals. It is designed and coordinated by the General Directorate of Healthcare Programs of the SCS and the Canary Institute of Health Research Foundation (FCIISC), funded by the Ministry of Health, with collaboration from Médicos del Mundo and Psychologists Without Borders.
The SUC, which attends to arrivals at the dock alongside Primary Care personnel from the SCS and the Red Cross, emphasizes the fundamental role of inter-institutional collaboration in the healthcare provided by emergency services to migrants arriving by boat after days at sea.
It has become evident that many individuals receiving care have survived situations that can be considered humanitarian catastrophes, arriving not only with physical ailments but also exposed to potentially traumatic events, risking significant psychological suffering.
A team from Médicos del Mundo Canarias, an organization with experience in psychosocial intervention and care for vulnerable populations, has addressed this topic with content including psychological first aid and stress management for intervening teams.
This meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experiences with other emergency, security, and rescue professionals with whom they share the task of assisting migrant arrivals on our coasts, and to strengthen competencies in initial psychological and psychosocial care.
