ASPEN Medical is not a household name, but it’s familiar to thousands of defence personnel who know what to do when a roadside bomb blows off a leg.
THE privately owned firm, based in Canberra and employing more than 2000 people, has been contracted by the federal government to run a 100-bed Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.
It offers medical services to defence, civilian agencies and private firms, including medical evacuation services to resource companies in Australia and the Middle East. Aspen also provides battle-casualty-care training for defence personnel deploying to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Its highly regarded instruction is delivered by former special forces medics at the Australian support base in the United Arab Emirates as a refresher for soldiers heading into conflict zones. The latest Australian Defence Magazine list of Australia’s top 40 defence contractors ranks Aspen at 16, with turnover of $163 million in 2013. Aspen managing director Glenn Keys, a former defence test flight engineer, this week was named 2015 ACT Australian of the Year. The company, which has already been running a clinic in Liberia for several months, will be responsible for all clinical and logistical services in the Ebola treatment unit. Mr Keys said more than 130 health professionals had already registered their interest in working at the centre, and a significant number would be needed for up to six months, depending on the progress of the disease. “We are going to be part of a complete package of treatment and part of that package will be how Australians will be treated,” he said. Mr Keys said the response to the outbreak remained uncharted territory. “What we all need to do is work collaboratively. That’s every nation and every organisation and every charity to work out how we can tackle this and save as many lives as possible,” he said.