The final meeting of the Medical Health and Anti-Doping Directorate for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 has been scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago.

focusing on the event

The Jamaica Information Service has quoted Dr. Marion Bullock-DuCasse, chair of the directorate, as saying the group would be focusing on all plans relating to the hosting of the event.

"It is very heartening that we do have persons who will be traveling in teams from one country to the other to augment the services, in particular for some the special services," she said.

Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, primarily, will have teams of doctors moving between countries to assist with hosting issues.

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse further explained that the overall medical plan includes the handling of crises that may occur during the event. There has been extensive training in mass casualty management and incident command systems throughout the region with the assistance of the Pan American Health Organisation.

"It is a multi-sectoral training programme where we have trained persons from the health sector, the police, and fire and emergency response sectors such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management," she said.

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse added that hundreds of persons in Jamaica have been trained in this course over the last 18 months.

The relevant persons are now being trained in tabletop simulation exercise and other real scenarios to ensure that the region can respond efficiently.

Dr. Bullock-DuCasse said she was confident in the region's preparedness to tackle any emergency.

The ICC CWC 2007 is set to bowl off on March 11, with the opening ceremony at the Trelawny multi-purpose stadium. The event will come to a close in Barbados on April 28.

Jamaica will also host six first-round matches and one semi-final at Sabina Park in Kingston.