1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Over the weekend as a precaution, into health evacuated the 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Catherine Hospital. Up to twenty impatients were transferred to Royal 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 1: Darwin and Palmerston Regional Hospitals to continue receiving care, and 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: up to nine pregnant women were also evacuated as a precaution. 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: We also know that CRUs from the Australian Medical Assistance 6 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: Team also known as OZMATT, worked across the weekend to 7 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: set up a field hospital in Catherine. Now joining us 8 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more 9 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: about the situation in Catherine is Professor Len Nataras, the 10 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: executive director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center. 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Len. 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and best wishes to your listeners. I 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 2: just wanted to make a big call out to the 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,919 Speaker 2: people of Catherine, big rivers and this around, recognizing all 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 2: the challenges they've been up against. But as you say, 16 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 2: apart from the COVID response, this has been Australia's National 17 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: Critical Care and Trauma Response Center's biggest call out as 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 2: far as OSMA and the disaster response and the seamlessness 19 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: with which it has occurred has been breathtaking Katie, your 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 2: listeners will be very impressed as well. Within just under 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: three days we have a facility that is now basically 22 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 2: taking up the work of the Catherine District Hospital. The 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 2: request was received from Health on Thursday, Katie, and that request, 24 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: because we're federally funded through the Department of Health, Commonwealth, 25 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 2: we had to go through appropriate, appropriate protocols, and to 26 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 2: say the least that by the next day, by three 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: o'clock on Friday afternoon, we had a three trailer road 28 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 2: train maneuvering its way into our facility to be loaded 29 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 2: up and take the stuff down to Catherine. There's nothing 30 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: short of amazing. I just have to see it to believe. 31 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 2: But we initially sent down, Katie, an eight person ozmat 32 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 2: team and they were nurses and logisticians and they will 33 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: be today reinforced, for one of a better word, by 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 2: another thirteen osmat people who have been drawn from around 35 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 2: the country. You'd be amazed at how many of our 36 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 2: trained osmatas have put up their hand and said we're 37 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: off the Darwin. And if this should go on for 38 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: a period longer than a few days to a couple 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 2: of weeks or four weeks, we can actually we can 40 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: actually draw on another twenty to thirty personnel who have 41 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: also put their hands up. 42 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: It's a huge help I would imagine for the people 43 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: of Catherine, and you know, a big burden off the 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: shoulders as well, I would imagine of into health. It's 45 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: like it's tough going at the moment. 46 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: It's absolutely right, Katie. This is a self sufficient, a 47 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 2: self sufficient facility which provides twenty four hour emergency care. 48 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 2: We've got an eight bed ed emergency department, primary care 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: of room, and we can have two resuscitation base which 50 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 2: is equivalent to what I had when I did the 51 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: first barley back there in two thousand and two and 52 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 2: two resuscitation base. We've got a labor and delivery room, 53 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: medical laboratory, Allied Health, radiology, pharmacy and logistics support. And 54 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 2: the logisticians who are largely drawn from our fire service 55 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 2: here in the Northern Territory and then Darwin have been 56 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 2: the backbone of what we're doing. But as of about 57 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: two o'clock three o'clock yesterday afternoon, Catherine Hospital I closed 58 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 2: and the services were transferred to our facility. The inpatient 59 00:03:55,280 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 2: ward will open throughout today. They're calling it Narrell Ward 60 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 2: at this stage, but it will be a twenty bid 61 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 2: inpatient facility air conditioned as well. So it is amazing. 62 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 2: The osmetias as we call them, have come from Victoria, 63 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 2: w A, New South Wales, South Australia, with others from 64 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 2: Tasmania and other places on the books later in the week. 65 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 2: And it's wonderful to say, Katie that the staff at 66 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 2: the Katherine Hospital are very enthusiastic about working with the 67 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 2: ozmat team and they're very welcome to We're delighted to 68 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 2: do that as we would overseas, and we usually do 69 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 2: this in places like the Philippines, so I say, apart 70 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 2: from the COVID response, we would be doing international deployments. 71 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 2: But this is amazing and a credit to everybody. I've 72 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 2: got to put out one other call out on Saturday, 73 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 2: our logisticians asked if there was out of words that 74 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 2: they needed a fork clift to help unload the trucks 75 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 2: and lo and behold, six of the good people of 76 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,600 Speaker 2: Catherine turned up with their fork cliffs, not only providing 77 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 2: the fork cliffs but driving them as well. Community. Community, community. 78 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: It is, it really is, and we heard that from 79 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: the mayor this morning as well. The Mayor of Catherine. 80 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: She just said the way that the Catherine community has 81 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: really banded together to help one another out is nothing 82 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: short of amazing. Professor Natara Stellers, have you has there 83 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: been many patients going to, you know, to the facility 84 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,559 Speaker 1: over the weekend and are you expecting it to get 85 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: busier as the days go on. 86 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 2: Yes, we are expecting it to get busier and basically 87 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 2: at about the same rate as the Catherine Hospital would 88 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: have been had it been still open. In other words, 89 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 2: you know, there will be a few presentations and ideas say, 90 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 2: there'll be the usual the usual pains and aches and 91 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 2: injuries that might occur on a normal day. There could 92 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 2: be there could be additional ones, so we're prepared for that. 93 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 2: At this particular moment, the presentations have been relatively mid 94 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,239 Speaker 2: minimal because it's only been going now for approximately twelve 95 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 2: fourteen hours and that most of that has been overnight. 96 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 2: But look, Catherine Hospital has done a phenomenal job and 97 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 2: so to all of the supporting services down there, we're 98 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 2: prepared to. We are quite capable of picking up the 99 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 2: whole workload into the next week, ten days, two weeks, whatever, 100 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 2: whatever the requirement is. We're prepared to do now. Hopefully, 101 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: hopefully touching would the river won't rise to the level 102 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 2: that could have could rise to. But if that happened, 103 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 2: if that doesn't happen, well that's okay. I would rather 104 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 2: be prepared, no regrets, And I said this from the 105 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 2: very beginning when we said, yes, we would go down 106 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 2: no regrets. If something happens, we will respond. If nothing happens, 107 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 2: and we just continue to work at the hospital while 108 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 2: they have a little bit of a spite as well, 109 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 2: will be good enough for us. 110 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. I think it's better to 111 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: be prepared in the way in which we are than 112 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: to be floundering and struggling in the aftermath. So hopefully 113 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: it doesn't get to the level that everybody is concerned 114 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: that it may. Professor Nataris, before I let you go 115 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: in terms of and you touched on this a moment ago, 116 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: this really, aside from COVID, you haven't set up a 117 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: field hospital like this in Australia anywhere else throughout other emergencies. 118 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 2: No, that's correct, and this is only half approximately half 119 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 2: of what we are capable of setting up. So you've 120 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 2: got to keep in mind equip prepared ready, as been 121 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 2: the man trip for the last twenty two years of 122 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 2: this or twenty one years of this initiative. We can 123 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 2: still respond today to other events. So we do have 124 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: capacity to be able to respond to other events. And 125 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 2: to answer your question again, this is the biggest apart 126 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 2: from us running the Howard Springs facility and going down 127 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 2: to western New South Wales and a few and in 128 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 2: those ones we used existing facilities, so we didn't You've 129 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 2: been to our facility I think a couple of times. 130 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 2: I've seen it set up, so about half of that 131 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 2: has been set up down there and we've been extremely 132 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 2: fortunate to him being able to set up part of 133 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 2: that inside a disused warehouse as well a part of 134 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,959 Speaker 2: its outside, part of its inside. So the grounds have 135 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 2: been phenomenal. But look again, it is amazing and that 136 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 2: we could do this in something like thirty six hours 137 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 2: from the time that we got the first part hope 138 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 2: and is quite quite breathtaking. 139 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: It is. It's phenomenal. I mean, the work that the 140 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center does out of 141 00:08:55,880 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: Darwin is just incredible. And you know, think of of 142 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: you know, all the different events and all the different 143 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: you know, horrible situations that that the ozmat team head 144 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: out to that it's it's nothing short of amazing, really. 145 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 2: It is, absolutely and it screens volumes for the capacity 146 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 2: of Darwin and the Northern Territory and that's well recognized 147 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 2: at times at times by Candra Well, they wouldn't fund 148 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 2: us to do this and continue to do it as 149 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 2: we do. 150 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, Like I think I think I said a few 151 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: years ago Lynn, like the Swiss army knife of the 152 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: medical world business. 153 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 2: I've been waiting for that. I've been waiting for that. 154 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 2: D I was plaiting. I thought that you would have 155 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 2: said that right up at the beginning. 156 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: I know, I know, I've been saying it for years 157 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: because you truly are Like the way that the team 158 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: just you know, is able to mobilize and you've got 159 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: all these different moving parts, it's amazing, totally amazing. 160 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 2: Can I say part of that has been adopted by 161 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 2: and I've been the chair of the EMT Initiative, but 162 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 2: that's the Emergency Medical tim Initiative for WHO in Geneva 163 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:10,199 Speaker 2: as well, and they've adopted our lessons here from little 164 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 2: Old Darwin and Australia because we pretty well lead the 165 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 2: world in what the sort of stuff that we do. 166 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 2: We're out there in the Pacific at the moment, some 167 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 2: of our people up in pig and other places training 168 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 2: them for other events, and yeah, business as usual in 169 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 2: those areas. But this is what's the privilege to be 170 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 2: a part of that response. 171 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 1: Yeah A, well, it is wonderful to talk to you 172 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: this morning, and wonderful to hear what's been set up 173 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 1: there in Catherine to support everybody in the region. Professor 174 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: Len Nataras, the executive director of the National Critical Care 175 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: and Trauma Response Center. Great have you on the show today, 176 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: Absolute pleasure, Thanks you, Thanks so much.