Medical University - Varna has participated for the fourth time in a row in the National Exercise of the Navy of the Republic of Bulgaria BREEZE 2022 with international participation on 21st and 22nd July 2022. This year the topic of the exercise was "Conducting a Maritime Security Operation by the Navy of the Republic of Bulgaria, with the Participation of Multinational Union Forces, together with the Forces of Government Departments, Agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations".
The events were based on a scenario for conducting a maritime security operation and protecting national sovereignty in maritime spaces. The content of the different episodes included improving the interaction among the various government institutions, private companies, NGOs and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in conducting an operation. The exercise consisted of actions to ensure national security at sea; extinguishing a fire on a ship in a port, and evacuating victims; improving the interaction among the various government institutions, private companies, NGOs and EMSA in overcoming the consequences of an incident with a merchant ship at sea, and joint preparation of procedures for rescuing people in distress, as well as improving compatibility and interaction in carrying out an operation to take control over a hijacked merchant vessel. The objectives set by the Navy fully correspond to those set in the concept of establishing and sustainable development of the University Centre for Maritime Health.
After the invitation of the Navy, MU - Varna took part in the exercise with the provision of telemedicine consulting services to victims at sea. On the recommendation of MU - Varna, an episode on providing medical consultation for searching and rescuing victims in Bulgaria's area of responsibility was included. A project of the University Centre for Maritime Health was implemented with the participation of Dr. Yasen Georgiev, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Disaster Medicine and Maritime Medicine, who consulted a ship at sea with a victim with suspected myocardial infarction. After the consultation, taking into account the condition of the victim, Dr. Georgiev recommended to the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to carry out an emergency medical evacuation to the nearest hospital to continue the treatment of the victim.
The participation of MU - Varna in the Naval Exercise BREEZE 2022 received a merit evaluation by the management of the exercise. The natural continuation of the beneficial partnership relationship among the University, the Navy and the "Maritime Administration" Executive Agency, and the strengthening of the need to coordinate the interaction among the three institutions in conducting the National Search and Rescue Operation have been emphasized.
