Jamaica Leads the Americas with Inaugural Basic Emergency Care Hybrid Course Training

Kingston, Jamaica, 28 April 2026 (PAHO) - Emergencies such as road crashes, cardiac arrests, choking, and poisoning can happen without warning and require immediate action to prevent serious harm or death. Recognizing this reality, Jamaica has taken an important step to strengthen its emergency care system with the introduction of the Basic Emergency Care (BEC) Hybrid Course.

Led by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, with technical cooperation from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the country recently hosted the first BEC Hybrid course in the Americas Region from April 21 to 24 in Kingston. This course, funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), and PAHO/WHO marked the beginning of a broader nationwide implementation plan aimed at expanding access to this critical training.

At its core, the BEC course provides frontline health care workers with a clear, practical approach to responding when a patient's life is at risk, even before a diagnosis is known. Developed by WHO in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the course equips first-contact health workers who care for patients with the knowledge and skills to manage acute illness and injury, where early intervention saves lives.

The hybrid format makes the training more accessible while maintaining a strong focus on practical learning. Participants began with self-directed online modules that cover the fundamentals, including a systematic approach to patient assessment and care. This was followed by a two-day, face-to-face Practical Skills Training, where participants applied what they had learned through lectures, workbook exercises, case scenarios, multiple-choice questions, and hands-on skills stations to achieve certification as BEC providers.

The training is designed for frontline health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, midwives, and ambulance providers working in both pre-hospital and hospital settings. In Jamaica, the first group included 20 carefully selected participants from across all health regions, each playing a role in expanding the program islandwide.

A key part of the initiative is the Training of Trainers component, which prepares participants who demonstrate strong understanding and teaching potential to become Provisional BEC Facilitators. These facilitators will help deliver future courses under the guidance of Master Trainers, supporting the long-term growth of the program.

Mr. Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO Representative to Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, said, "This training is a direct continuation of the work we began three years ago, when a national assessment of Jamaica's emergency and critical care system highlighted both strengths and critical gaps, particularly in workforce training, infrastructure, and coordination. What we are seeing now is that assessment being translated into action. Through the BEC course, those gaps are being addressed in a practical, structured way, positioning Jamaica not just to strengthen its own system, but to lead by example across the Americas."

Dr. Nicole Dawkins-Wright, Director of Emergency, Disaster Management, and Special Services at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, speaking on behalf of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, said, "Public hospitals managed more than 922,000 Accident and Emergency visits in 2024, with nearly half classified as high acuity. Admission rates also increased from 13% in 2001 to 19% in 2024, indicating that more patients now require intensive and extended care. This rise, partly linked to serious and unintentional injuries such as road traffic crashes, underscores the need to strengthen training and improve the quality of emergency care across the system."

Following the successful implementation of the first phase of the BEC Hybrid course, it is expected to strengthen the skills of frontline providers and improve the timeliness and effectiveness of emergency care for patients when situations demand it.