More than 65 medical personnel from around Australia and overseas this week have been put through their paces in preparation for an infectious disease outbreak such as Ebola.
The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre this week held two Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) Infectious Disease workshops to ensure that Australia is prepared.
Four clinicians from the Ministry of Health in Timor-Leste were flown to Darwin to take part in the AUSMAT training.
The NCCTRC Executive Director Dr Nick Coatsworth said the while the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa continues, work is already being done preparing for the next infectious disease emergency of global significance.
“Be it SARS, H1N1 or Ebolavirus, what is certain is that periodically the world will require a coordinated and united response to highly infectious and lethal pathogens.
“The purpose of this field exercise has been to bring together senior AUSMAT clinicians, nurses and logisticians from around the country to learn from faculty who have experienced the West African epidemic first hand, and to view the configuration of the AUSMAT field facility as an Infectious Disease Treatment facility.”
The 2 two-day workshops included a simulated field exercise in an Ebola treatment facility.
The NCCTRC maintains a permanent capability to respond to any health emergency on behalf of the Australian Government.