AnyTime News 
Over 600 medical professionals join hands-on training; 100 government doctors,
nurses and emergency technicians from Uttar Pradesh trained free of cost
Pooja Srivastava
Anytime News Network
Lucknow on Friday witnessed a significant push towards strengthening emergency and trauma care as the second edition of COMET-2026, the Conclave of Medical Emergencies and Trauma, opened at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University (ABVMU). Organised by the Society of Acute Care, Trauma and Emergency Medicine (SACTEM) in association with ABVMU, the three-day conclave is being held on the theme “Strengthening Systems – Saving Lives.”
More than 600 emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, anaesthetists, nursing officers and paramedics from across India participated in eight parallel hands-on pre-conference workshops on the opening day. The training focused on practical skills, rapid decision-making and effective emergency response, particularly in situations where advanced medical facilities may not be immediately available.
North India’s first wilderness medicine workshop
The major highlight of the opening day was “Survive, Stabilize, Evacuate: Wilderness Medicine in Action”, described as the first wilderness medicine workshop of its kind in North India. Directed by Dr Nikhil Paul, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, the simulation-based programme trained doctors, nurses and paramedics to manage patients in remote and resource-limited environments.
Participants underwent practical exercises covering wilderness trauma assessment, field triage, scene safety, hypothermia, heat-related illness, altitude emergencies, envenomation, drowning, improvised splinting, patient packaging and evacuation. The programme also focused on communication and decision-making when medical resources are limited.
Dr Paul said that Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have extensive forest, river and hill terrain besides hosting some of the country’s largest pilgrimages and mass gatherings. He stressed that wilderness medicine is essentially about keeping a patient alive and stable until definitive medical care becomes available.
100 government healthcare workers trained free
In another major initiative, 100 government doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians from district hospitals and medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh received free training from SACTEM faculty.
The programme focused on critical skills such as resuscitation, ventilation, haemorrhage control and point-of-care ultrasound. Dr Lokendra Gupta, Founder and National President of SACTEM and Director and Head of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care at Medanta Hospital, Lucknow, said government hospital frontline teams handle a major share of emergencies and need strong practical skills to respond effectively.
Other opening-day workshops included PULSE, SACTEM’s ultrasound skills programme; NEURON, a dedicated neurological emergency workshop; and two VENT PRO tracks on mechanical ventilation for clinicians and nursing personnel.
A specialised trauma, disaster and combat-readiness workshop also trained undergraduate students, junior residents and emergency-room staff in massive haemorrhage control, tactical triage and mass-casualty response. Prof. Dr Samir Misra of KGMU underlined the importance of rapid bleeding control and effective triage in saving lives, particularly in road-traffic trauma.
The Nursing and Allied Health Resuscitation Workshop further strengthened team-based emergency care through simulated trauma arrest, septic shock and patient-transport scenarios.
Organising Secretary Dr Subhankar Paul said the response to the workshops exceeded expectations, with more than 600 delegates and training stations operating at full capacity. He particularly highlighted the strong participation of nurses and technicians, calling emergency care a collective team effort.
The main conference will be formally inaugurated on September 12. Scientific sessions will bring together experts from Australia, Israel, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Nepal and Sri Lanka, along with national policy discussions on strengthening emergency and trauma systems in India.
The preliminary rounds of the “Battle of the Bays” National Emergency Medicine Simulation Championship will also be held on Saturday, with eight resident teams from across the country competing for a place in Sunday’s finale.
