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Medicos
always prepared
The
Military Health Symposium held in Sydney recently focused on how
the defence medical system can respond to acts of terrorism.
More than 60 full-time and reserve medicos attended the symposium
for 2002 which was held at Randwick Barracks.
Director Joint Health Support Agency CAPT Andy Robertson gave the
conference an overview of the threat of biological terrorism.
AME team nurses from 3 Combat Support Hospital at Richmond, FLTLT
Brown and FLGOFF Crimston, briefed the conference on the rescue
effort and retrieval of victims from Bali.
“The medical teams and aircrew did a marvellous job, bringing
the casualties home and transporting them to major hospitals around
the country,” said Co-convenor and
Director of Naval Health Reserves, CMDR Mike Garvan.
Forensic pathologists, GPCAPTs Hilton and Griffiths provided the
forum with a fascinating but sometimes gruesome insight into the
task of Disaster Victim
Identification. Both specialists spent several weeks in Bali and
highlighted the problems they experienced, emphasising the importance
of a thorough scientific approach to identifying the dead in any
future disaster situation.
The other major component of the symposium was a practical demonstration
of the RAAF’s Air Transportable Hospital and the role it could
play in a mass casualty environment, either in Australia or deployed
overseas. Four of the 30 modules which make up the complete facility
were erected at Randwick.
The Military Health Symposium 2002 was convened by the directors
of health service Reserves and was chaired by the Director Health
Service - Army Reserve, COL Andrew Patterson. The conference was
addressed by the Surgeon General ADF, AVM Bruce Short and the Director
General Health Services AIRCDRE Tony Austin. Also present were Assistant
Surgeons General, BRIG Brian Pezzutti and CDRE Graham Shirtley.
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