Jutiapa, Guatemala – May 22, 2025. From May 10 to 22, Guatemala hosted the annual CENTAM Guardianexercise, organized by the United States Army Southern Command in coordination with the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) and the Ministry of National Defense of Guatemala, with the participation of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) for the health component. This exercise serves as a training platform aimed at strengthening emergency and disaster preparedness and response across Central American countries, while also evaluating and improving interoperability among national and international institutions, both civilian and military.
As part of its participation in the exercise, the MSPAS deployed for the first time its National Fixed Type 1 Emergency Medical Team (EMT), which has the installed capacity to provide emergency outpatient care through multidisciplinary medical teams. The event also served to test emergency activation and response procedures under a simulated earthquake scenario in the municipality of Jutiapa, developed for CENTAM Guardian 2025.
Through theoretical and practical workshops, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) provided technical assistance to MSPAS during the different phases of preparing the national EMT, including team design, deployment, organization, and installation of mobile hospital modules, as well as the establishment of the Medical Information and Coordination Cell (CICOM) and other key operational procedures.
PAHO also promoted the exchange of experiences with EMTs from other countries in the region. As part of this preparation, a joint training program was conducted in Costa Rica with the EMT of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), which sent a group of experts to Guatemala to provide on-site support during the deployment in the CENTAM Guardian exercise.
Another highlight was the joint mass-casualty response exercises conducted with the United States Southern Command. These exercises involved professionals from Guatemala’s EMT, emergency response brigades, and personnel from the Medical Emergency Service (SEM), who trained alongside medical teams from the Arkansas National Guard and the United States Air Force.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Mudge, commander of the 188th Medical Group, congratulated the members of the national EMT for their professionalism and motivation during this first deployment and encouraged them to continue their training for emergency response.
This deployment also benefited from the valuable support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
PAHO reiterates its commitment to building more resilient and better-prepared health systems through training, simulation exercises, and regional cooperation.
