Port of Spain, 22 September 2026 (PAHO) —The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has successfully completed another phase of its national Mass Casualty Management (MCM) Training Programme, with healthcare and emergency response personnel from the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) participating in an intensive six-day workshop held from 14 to 19 September 2026.
The training forms part of a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening Trinidad and Tobago's preparedness for mass casualty incidents, disasters, public health emergencies, and other large-scale events. Through a combination of classroom instruction, tabletop simulations, practical exercises, and realistic emergency response scenarios, participants enhanced the knowledge and skills required to coordinate effective responses during complex emergencies.
The SWRHA workshop marked an important milestone in the evolution of the programme. For the first time, the training was delivered by members of the national Trainer-of-Trainers (ToT) cohort, who were trained under the PAHO Mass Casualty Management programme in 2025.
This transition to locally trained facilitators reflects the programme's long-term vision of embedding mass casualty management expertise within Trinidad and Tobago's health system. By developing a cadre of national trainers, the Ministry of Health, PAHO/WHO, and the Regional Health Authorities are creating a sustainable framework for ongoing preparedness training and continuous professional development.
During the workshop, participants were exposed to key elements of the standardized PAHO Mass Casualty Management model, including incident command systems, triage procedures, patient flow management, hospital disaster planning, risk communication, and interagency coordination. Practical exercises challenged teams to apply these concepts in dynamic scenarios designed to mirror the realities of emergency response operations.
The successful completion of the SWRHA training continues the momentum of the 2026 national training series, which is being conducted across all Regional Health Authorities.
Through this continued partnership, PAHO and the Ministry of Health remain committed to strengthening health emergency preparedness, enhancing surge capacity, and building a resilient health system capable of protecting communities during times of crisis.
As the programme progresses, each training workshop contributes to a growing national network of skilled responders and trainers, helping to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago is better prepared, coordinated, and equipped to manage emergencies whenever they occur.
