Qualified Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) personnel and Gozo-branch staff of the Malta Red Cross have been awarded Combat Medic certificates after completing the last phase of training overseas with the Italian Red Cross as part of a Leonardo Da Vinci exchange project.

Over these last two years, the Italian Red Cross's Special Rescue Department has been engaged in establishing combat life-savers and combat medics for the AFM, in close collaboration with the Malta Red Cross.

Combat medics are trained soldiers who provide first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield while adhering to International Red Cross and relevant Geneva Conventions during times of peace or war.

The AFM can now fulfil such roles in EU scenarios when deploying military personnel on peace support operations, as well as in local search and rescue.

Apart from the several local hours of varied training in pre-hospital care and ambulance service with the Department of Health, on-the-job training was also provided in Italy.

The Maltese contingent was led by AFM surgeon Major Giacinto Bartolo and was made up of eight soldiers and two Gozo Red Cross branch staff.

The intensive two-week stay in Italy was evenly spread between the Milan-based Centro Emergenze Lombardia in Legnano, the Carabinieri and Civil Protection base at Bardonecchia (Torino), the Caserma Pierantoni and the Castelnuovo di Porto base (Rome), the old harbour city of Trani, and also in Bari. Throughout their stay, the contingent was hosted by the Italian Military Red Cross.

Dr Marco Filippi was the principal instructor. He was assisted by Italian Red Cross and army directing-staff. AFM Warrant-Officer II Martin Borg was also asked to deliver lectures on the treatment of choking adults, young children and babies to course participants.

The presentation of certificates to the new combat medics was made by Italian ambassador Paolo Andrea Trabalza at the Officer's Mess in Luqa Barracks.