07 October 2009
Dear Member
We welcome any feedback on the contents of the 17th issue of ASMS Direct for 2009. This copy of ASMS Direct focuses on:
1. Donations for Samoa.
2. Minister of Health’s media statement on Samoa.
3. World Medical Association calls for health to be given greater priority at UN climate change talks.
4. Another Reminder: 21st ASMS Annual Conference, 3-4 December 2009.
1. Donations for Samoa
The devastation of the tsunami on Samoa is unbelievable and heart rendering. It seems that every Samoan family has been affected in some way. Many medical and dental practitioners have gone (or are going) across to Samoa to help. These include several ASMS members. The contribution of their colleagues in covering them is also an important contribution.
If you have not made a donation for the victims of the tragedy you may wish to consider Oxfam. They can be contacted by free-phone on 0800 600-700 or via its website www.oxfam.org.nz. There are a limited number of other aid organisations also providing support for Samoan families which you may wish to consider as another option.
2. Minister of Health’s media statement on Samoa
On 5 October the Minister of Health Tony Ryall released the following media statement on Samoa:
Health Minister Tony Ryall says as the demand for emergency surgery in Samoa lessens and the focus shifts to recovery, public health staff are now being flown in to work on minimising the impact of infectious and communicable diseases.
"We are advised there is a strong demand for on-going wound care and a growing need for mental health staff to support grieving communities.
“Field health clinics are being set up in some of the more isolated areas on the south coast and hills to provide treatment to those in remote villages who haven’t already sought medical care."
The Health Minister says there will be a further twelve staff in Samoa by tomorrow night in addition to the 14-strong health team who arrived on Sunday (4 October).
Five left early this morning, and seven more are due to depart on a New Zealand Defence Force flight leaving at midday tomorrow, Tues 6 Oct. They include a plastic surgeon, a psychiatrist, Samoan-speaking grief counsellors, an infectious diseases specialist, doctors, wound care nurses and support staff.
“We have been able to provide a number of Samoan-speaking health personnel who have worked in Samoa before and they’re proving invaluable I'm told.”
A large contingent of Australian medics who have been in Samoa since the tsunami hit are being gradually replaced by New Zealand staff over the coming week.
Additional equipment, medication and wound care supplies are being sourced and flown in to meet local needs.
New Zealand's response to the disaster in the Pacific is being coordinated nationally by NZAID.
Coordinator of the New Zealand health volunteers, Ron Dunham, says "People are very keen to do all they can to help. Our people on the ground in Samoa are identifying where the areas of need are, and we are coordinating resources with Australia to ensure that we provide the most effective help possible.
“We have a very impressive pool of people who are keen to help with the disaster relief effort. Samoa will need our help for weeks and months to come and we anticipate a constant flow of staff heading up to meet the ongoing health needs of the people in Samoa.”
Any health professional, including those working in primary care, who wants to offer support should contact the emergency controller at their local DHB or phone 09 263 1381 or fax 09 261 3396 or email Incident.Controller@middlemore.co.nz outlining relevant qualifications, experience, availability and contact details.
3. World Medical Association calls for health to be given greater priority at UN climate change talks
Last month the World Medical Association released the following media statement:
Health should be given a much greater priority at December's United Nations Framework Convention on climate change.
Following a WMA seminar on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark yesterday, addressed by experts from around the world, WMA leaders today urged that health investment should be a specific item on the agenda of the UN conference. And they declared that the WMA and national medical associations would work hard in the coming weeks to ensure that health ministers and governments persuade the UN to give health issues greater prominence at the December convention.
Dr Edward Hill, Chair of the WMA, warned:
'The health consequences of climate change may end up being more important than the economic effects. Yet we are concerned that the issue of health, as well as health professionals, will be noticeably absent from the discussions at the UN Convention. This would be a scandal'.
Dr Hill said that at its annual General Assembly in New Delhi, India, next month, the WMA would adopt a new Declaration for action to prevent, adapt and mitigate the health consequences of climate change. It would then present the Declaration to the UN Convention.
’The Declaration would set out a series of actions, including calling for a halt to the privatization of water and suggesting that physicians carry out patient environmental impact assessments, evaluating their patients for risk from environment and global climate change.
'The WMA wants to ensure that governments incorporate national medical associations and physicians into country and community emergency planning and that physicians prepare their offices, clinics, hospitals, and other health care settings for the infrastructure disruptions that accompany major emergencies.
‘We shall be asking representatives at our Assembly to consider how physicians and their medical associations can best prepare themselves and their communities for the consequences of climate change, by looking at the patterns of disease attributed to climate change and describing the impact of climate change on communities and households.
'We will also consider how we can best draw the attention of governments and the public to the dire consequences of climate change.
’Countries will need strong health systems, including public health, to combat climate change and effective surveillance and alert systems to monitor events.
‘It is vital that the voice of the medical profession is heard when world leaders meet in December so that plans are put in place to protect our patients and vulnerable populations.'
4. Another Reminder: 21st ASMS Annual Conference, 3-4 December 2009
The 21st ASMS Annual Conference will be held in Wellington (at Te Papa) on 3-4 December (Thursday-Friday). It is a unique opportunity to discuss the exciting mix of industrial, health policy, medico-legal and political subjects. Information on registration was provided in the June and September issues of The Specialist. If you are interested please contact ASMS Membership Support Officer, Kathy Eaden ke@asms.org.nz.
Preparation for our national DHB MECA negotiations early next year will be a central theme of the Conference. Another feature will be an address by Minister of Health, Tony Ryall.
Best wishes
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
