Ready or not? Australia’s preparedness for an Ebola response has been called into question. Source: Getty Images
AUSTRALIA has not trained any health care workers to deal with an Ebola outbreak in our region despite assurances from the Abbott Government that the nation’s health establishment is ready to fight the deadly virus.
In the past week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said Australia is poised to help Papua New Guinea in the event of an outbreak and Health Minister Peter Dutton has said a rapid-response team was ready to tackle Ebola.
But it was revealed at a Senate Estimates hearing this morning that an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) has not been activated for such an event. In fact, the Government has not even called for volunteers for such a team.
Unprepared … Health Minister Peter Dutton (right) said Australia was ready to respond to an outbreak, but Senate Estimates has heard differently. Source: News Corp Australia
Mr Dutton has attended just one of the weekly meetings of chief health officers that deal with Australia’s preparedness for Ebola, which have been running since August.
“The minster was present at the introduction of the last teleconference last Friday,” Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Baggoley told Senate Estimates today.
FEELING SAFE? Australia’s protective equipment called into question
Professor Baggoley said the Government had not asked him to prepare an AUSMAT that would fight an overseas outbreak of the virus.
“We’ve not trained the AUSMAT team specifically in personal protective gear,” he said, adding that it would take at least two weeks to properly train a team in the necessary skills and equipment.
‘We’ve not trained the AUSMAT’ … Professor Chris Baggoley says Australia would need at least two weeks to adequately train a team of medicos. Source: News Limited
Mr Dutton claimed on Friday that Australia was ready to deal with any Ebola outbreak in our region.
And there were reports at the weekend that an Australian medical rapid response team had been put on notice for potential regional deployment.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott stopped over in Papua New Guinea on Monday to outline Australia’s contingency plans to help its neighbours should the outbreak reach our region.
Greens health spokesman Senator Richard Di Natalie questioned why the government was assuring countries in our region we would be ready to help them if Ebola came to the region.
“We have the Prime Minister Visit PNG on the way to Indonesia saying we’re ready to help but we don’t have any Australian health professionals who have been skilled up with the appropriate knowledge to manage an epidemic in PNG if it was to occur tomorrow,” Senator Di Natalie said.
Not doing enough … Australia is also under fire for its support of Ebola eradication in West Africa. Source: AP
The government has been under fire from the Australian Medical Association, 60 public health academics and public health associations for its failure to send health workers to West Africa to control the Ebola outbreak there.
The government claims it would not be able to evacuate health workers who contracted Ebola, so was not willing to take the risk.
But this too was called into question at the Estimates hearings.
Professor Baggoley said the UK, which has committed hundreds of workers to fight Ebola, was not planning to evacuate them if they became ill; they would be treated on site in West Africa.
This even though an evacuation to Britain would be only a five hour flight compared to the 30 hour flight back to Australia.
Originally published as Top doctor: We’re not ready for Ebola