Global Emergency Care Skills (GECS) is an Irish voluntary non-profit organisation that provides trauma skills training to doctors, nurses and clinical officers in African Hospitals.

Sepsis and trauma are two of the fastest-growing causes of morbidity and mortality in populations with developing healthcare systems. Prof Jean O'Sullivan established the shortage in emergency care training in Africa, which inspired the non-profit organisation's creation.

Since 2009, they have trained over 600 healthcare staff in Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, and Tanzania. They deliver training through simulation-based learning in trauma care, resuscitation skills, and major incident management. They donate hospital and teaching equipment to the hosting hospitals, and at the end of every course, participants qualify to become trainers. GECS has received awards including the William Rutherford Humanitarian Award from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in London in 2021 and the International Federation of Emergency Medicine Humanitarian Award in 2024 for their outstanding work.

At Galen, we are proud to have sponsored the GECS non-profit organisation for two years. We have been providing scrubs for the voluntary trainers who deliver the crucial training, supporting emergency care around the world. 

We wish them all the best in their upcoming initiatives this November, hosting a pre-conference workshop at the African Federation of Emergency Medicine conference and running a hospital-based course for local doctors.