2013 – Philippines – Typhoon

One of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded smashed into the Philippines in November. Operation Philippines Assist was the first occasion on which a host government was able to use the World Health Organisation guidelines to assess the contribution of foreign medical teams.

It was also the first major deployment under the AUSMAT concept of a self-sufficient, self-sustaining, trained team of medical professionals representing Australia and composed of personnel from every state and Territory. 2734 patients were seen during the mission and 222 surgical procedures were performed.