Australian paramedics say they are unprepared to deal with Ebola cases on home soil and have demanded urgent training.
Representatives from The National Council of Ambulance Unions (NCAU) have written to the country’s health ministers seeking consistent national guidelines on how to respond to the virus.
New South Wales paramedic Steve Fraser said paramedics particularly would be at risk in the event of an outbreak.
“It’s scary for paramedics,” he said.
“We’re the first point of contact … in a global world where people can travel the world in a day.
“So we’re walking into scenes, we’re walking into incidents that we don’t know what’s going on and without that training, without that early recognition, we’re at risk.
“If we’re walking into a highly contagious environment without the proper protection, we’re at risk and someone is going to bring that disease back home to their family.”
Mr Fraser said emergency call centres also needed training to identify potential cases of Ebola.
Another paramedic and NCAU representative, Matthew Gardiner, said there was no consistent national approach to preparation.
“There is some good that is being done in some areas but then training isn’t being followed through or the equipment isn’t available,” he said.
“We’ve seen lots of media reports around doctors and nurses being trained but unfortunately patients don’t magically appear in hospital. They’re got to get there in the back of an ambulance.
“We’re seeing the different states having their own approaches, we’re seeing the Federal Government not giving any clear lead on this, but it is also the paramedics being left out.
“We’re seeing staff in hospitals being trained, but we’re not seeing this overall approach – an overall approach that actually includes the entire time a patient is in medical care.”
The calls came as a doctor in New York City tested positive for the virus and after infectious disease expert Professor Lyn Gilbert was appointed to oversee Australia’s response to the threat.
Labor wants ‘worst case scenario’ plan
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek warned it would be difficult to keep Australians safe if the virus continued to spread.
This week it was revealed the United States and United Kingdom, along with Sierra Leone and Liberia, have asked for Australia’s help in tackling Ebola.
The Government has so far resisted pressure to send medical teams to Africa because it does not have a viable evacuation plan in place.
Ms Plibersek said Australia must join the international effort to ensure the virus does not spread to the Asia-Pacific.
“I’m asking the Government to look ahead to the worst case scenario,” she said.
“The Centres for Disease Control, a very authoritative organisation in the US, is saying on current trends, we’ll have 1.4 million people infected by the beginning of next year.
“How does the Government keep Australia safe if that comes to pass?”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott acknowledged the requests for help, but insisted the security of “our people” was paramount to any final decision.
The ABC was told Mr Morrison wanted his Operation Sovereign Borders team to take control of Australia’s response with new powers to force visitors from West Africa to be isolated in quarantine.
Mr Morrison said he had been misrepresented by the report, adding claims of a Cabinet split on the issue were “completely and utterly false”.