JUNE 8, 2022 – More than 130 military and civilian medical personnel from 13 countries, including several senior officials from the Georgian Ministry of Defense, gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia May 30 to June 2 for the 28th annual Multinational Military Medical Engagement.
Hosted by Regional Health Command Europe, the theme for this year’s conference was, “Continuity of Care in a Military Healthcare System,” and focused on rehabilitative care that occurs after lifesaving surgery and consisted of a series of panel discussions.
According to event organizers, this year’s conference was a resounding success.
“The event was a huge success and was well attended by several senior officials from the Georgian Ministry of Defense,” said John Casey, director of plans and exercises for Regional Health Command Europe. “Our goal for the conference was to strengthen international partnerships through collaboration and global health engagement in order to enhance military medicine interoperability and familiarization and aid/support partner integration with NATO.”
With a large multinational presence, conference attendees represented a total of 13 different mostly NATO countries.
“As NATO Allies, we share a commitment to strengthening relationships between our military forces and synchronizing efforts with multinational partners,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Thompson, the recently departed RHCE commanding general. “Our commitment to this effort is critical to maintaining a strong Europe, able to deter, and if necessary confront adversaries who might threaten peace and stability in the region.”
Thompson, who was also the former U.S. Army Europe and Africa command surgeon, added, “These face-to-face interactions between medical leaders and professionals enhances and expands lines of communication among military medical forces and strengthens the relationships between our nations.”
The week-long conference consisted primarily of panel discussions on a variety of medical topics to include; patient evacuation, force health protection, psychological resilience and identification and management of traumatic brain injuries among others.
During closing remarks, the new commanding general for Regional Health Command Europe thanked everyone for their participation.
“I want to thank everyone again for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet and share best practices,” said Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray, the new commanding general for Regional Health Command Europe who assumed command on June 1. “Your efforts here help strengthen international partnerships and enhances military medicine interoperability and familiarization and supports partner integration with NATO.”
Planning for the next MMME Conference is already underway and is tentatively scheduled to be held in Estonia in December.
Story by Kirk Frady
Regional Health Command Europe