Humanitarian response

Australia deploys doctors, nurses, paramedics and logisticians to provide people with life-saving medical care following a disaster in our region.

These Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) are drawn from state and territory health services to deploy at short notice.

AUSMAT sizes change depending on the scale of the disaster, ranging from a small team of four people to a field hospital with 80 staff.

The Australian Government has deployed AUSMAT to humanitarian disasters in the following countries:

• Samoa measles outbreak 2019
• MV Solomon Trader oil spill 2019
• Thai cave rescue 2018
• Southern Highlands earthquake, Papua New Guinea 2018
• Tropical Cyclone Winston, Fiji 2016
• Nepal earthquake 2015
• Tropical Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu 2015
• Solomon Islands flooding 2014
• Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines 2013
• Solomon Islands dengue fever outbreak 2013

Strengthening local health systems

Australia also helps strengthen the health systems of countries in our region by providing training through the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), based in Darwin. The NCCTRC provides training and mentoring throughout the Indo-Pacific for local doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, to help them respond to emergencies.

 

Strengthening international health systems

AUSMAT is one of the few World Health Organisation (WHO) globally-verified Emergency Medical Teams. AUSMAT members are leading contributors to WHO activities to establish global standards on medical assistance during disasters.