The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) based in Darwin, Northern Territory is hosting a world first training program for international Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Coordinators.
In collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCCTRC is hosting 35 international participants in the pilot Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell training course.
The need for coordination of medical teams entering a disaster-affected nation has arisen from events like the Haiti earthquake, West African ebola epidemic, and Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu.
Dr Ian Norton, project lead for the WHO Emergency Medical Teams Project and former Director of Disaster Preparedness at the NCCTRC, said an important outcome for the participants is to provide safe and coordinated medical response to those in need.
“The purpose of this course is create a group of highly trained individuals that assist host governments in coordinating the arrival of international medical teams following a major disaster,” said Dr Norton.
“Importantly they need to facilitate the coordination between multiple agencies, organisations and governments during a disaster response.
“Additionally these teams are given the expertise to manage the transition to the host Government while maintaining the confidence of the wider humanitarian community.
Dr Norton will be joined by a team of international experts from WHO Global Headquarters to deliver the training package to participants from the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand.
Local participants include the Chief Health Officer of Western Australia, Professor Tarun Weeramanthri, and the Director of the New South Wales Health Emergency Management Unit, Ms Rosemary Hegner.
Dr Nicholas Coatsworth, Executive Director, NCCTRC said the deployments of Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMATs) to Typhoon Haiyan and Cyclone Pam positioned Australia well to be hosts of this important course.
“Through the ongoing support of the Australian Government the NCCTRC and AUSMAT has led the way in developing, promoting and adhering to the highest standard of medical response to disasters.”
This Medical Team Coordination Cell Training Course complements training already undertaken by AUSMAT and NCCTRC in preparing teams for disaster response.
Lessons learned from recent international relief operations in the Philippines, Vanuatu, Nepal and West Africa have led to increased awareness of the need for flexible and effective medical team coordination mechanisms that may be adapted in-country for different types of emergency scenarios.
The EMT Coordination Cell, operationalised by WHO in support of host government health ministries, is responsible for coordinating registered and ad-hoc EMTs during each phase of the response and ensuring alignment with wider international humanitarian coordination methodologies.
Media contact: Lorraine Hook 0427 596 954