Health professionals deployed to Samoa
Following the 8.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Samoa on 29 September, a 26
strong medical team of doctors, nurses and paramedics from across the
NSW Health system and four NSW Fire Brigade personnel who provided self-sustainability
support departed Australia on Thursday 1 October 2009 to assist with
the Australian Tsunami Relief effort in Samoa.
The response followed a formal request for NSW to provide an advanced medical rapid assessment team. Dr Michael Novey, Deputy Medical Director, Ambulance Helicopter Base Bankstown and public health expert, Dr Michael Smith departed Brisbane earlier in the morning. Their role was to assess the needs of the affected communities and assist in determining what additional resources were required.
The relief team, including Dr Ron Manning, Director, Medical Retrieval Unit who was the on-scene Medical Controller, and four NSW paramedics, Adrian Humphrey, Paul Delamont, Murray Traynor and David Overton, assembled for a briefing at Ambulance Headquarters at Rozelle before leaving for Richmond Air Base where they boarded an Australian Defence Force aircraft for their flight to Samoa.
The team worked along side the Samoan Ministry of Health and provided relief support over the next 10 days following the devastation caused by the natural disaster. Paramedics undertook various roles including logistics management, prehospital assessment and care in remote villages, setting up clinics in the field, support and advise medical teams on practical safety and transport roles. They liaised with village leaders regarding public health assessments and with local emergency services and hospitals to ensure ongoing sustainability of the medical team and support to the local communities.
The relief team were welcomed home by Paul McLeay, Minister for Ageing, Disability Services and Aboriginal Affairs on Friday 9 October following Australia's second Tsunami relief effort.
Photograph: NSW Premier Nathan Rees addresses the relief team
Ambulance is committed to assisting the community create safer and healthier environments and outcomes by making prevention everyone’s businesses. A number of innovative community education programs have been implemented to assist identify life threatening conditions, understand what to do in an emergency and the importance of adopting illness prevention strategies.