The Centre for Global Surgery (CGS), in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, the Bulgarian Red Cross, and the Medical University of Plovdiv, recently delivered another series of trauma and emergency response training activities in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as part of an ongoing collaboration to strengthen trauma care and disaster preparedness in Bulgaria and Ukraine. Building on previous Basic Life Support (BLS) training, these activities focused on Trauma & Disaster Team Response (TDTR) and Essential Technical Skills (ETS), bringing together healthcare professionals, first responders, and humanitarian personnel from both countries.
CGS TDTR and ETS Training in Bulgaria- Train the Trainer in Action (May 2026)
Over four days, 112 healthcare providers participated in the program, including 13 certified TDTR instructors, 24 TDTR participants, and 75 ETS participants. The newly certified instructors—11 from Bulgaria and 2 from Ukraine—will now help deliver future training within their own institutions and communities, expanding local capacity through the train-the-trainer model.
One of the most powerful moments of the program is captured in the accompanying video. A Ukrainian paramedic leader participating in the ToT program leads a teaching session in Russian while his instruction is translated into Bulgarian, illustrating how the program develops future instructors while fostering collaboration across borders and languages.
Following previous CGS training, Ukrainian instructors have already trained approximately 450 additional healthcare providers within Ukraine, demonstrating how the train-the-trainer model extends the program's impact far beyond the original classroom.
Since the collaboration began, 230 Bulgarian and Ukrainian healthcare providers have been trained, including 29 certified instructors who will continue strengthening trauma care and emergency preparedness across the region through locally led education and long-term institutional partnerships.
