Health and Emergency Professionals to Share Accounts on Natural Disasters on September 3rd

Emergency services personnel who witnessed first-hand the horrors of the Queensland floods, the earthquake in Christchurch and Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland will share their personal experiences in Toowoomba this Saturday (September 3).

The Disaster Medicine ANZ 2011” Rural Critical Care Conference, to be held at the City Golf Club, will feature presentations by doctors, pilots, emergency services and hospital staff from the affected areas in North Queensland, New Zealand, South-East Queensland and Toowoomba.

Organising committee Chair, Dr Meher Chinthamuneedi, said the conference was designed to educate local health professionals and create awareness of emergency responses.

The program will examine how Cyclone Yasi affected the emergency services that needed to respond to Cyclone Yasi, the earthquake in Christchurch and the inland tsunami in Toowoomba that was never expected,” Dr Chinthamuneedi said. The speakers will explore what happened, how they coped and how prepared they are for another disaster.”

The conference, a joint project between the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation and St Vincent’s Hospital, begins at 8.30am on Saturday and concludes at 5.00pm.

Peter Rookas
CEO
Toowoomba Hospital Foundation
peter_rookas@health.qld.gov.au