AUSMAT supports earthquake response in Myanmar
03 May 2025
Written by Kathleen McDermott
Following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025, Australia deployed an AUSMAT to support the Australian Government’s humanitarian response.
The five-member AUSMAT Specialist Advisory Team was based at the Australian Embassy in Yangon. The team included experts in mission leadership, security, rehabilitation, logistics, and emergency aeromedical retrieval. Team members were drawn from across Australia, representing Northern Territory, Tasmania and Victoria.
The primary role of the team was to provide strategic advice, assess immediate health needs and guide the prioritisation of assistance.
A total of 15 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed across Myanmar via bilateral agreements, responding to the widespread destruction.
- Five teams to Nay Pyi Taw (NPT)
- One team to Sagaing
- Nine teams to Mandalay
These EMTS included included personnel from a wide range of countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Major earthquakes often result in high numbers of injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation. In Myanmar, AUSMAT’s rehabilitation specialist played a critical role in assessing referral pathways coordinating early support from non-governmental rehabilitation providers and identifying priorities for Australian Government involvement in both acute and long-term rehabilitation responses. Advocating for the integration of rehabilitation providers and the provision of assistive products (AP) was a key priority. These efforts aimed to ensure injured people, and people with pre-existing disabilities, had access to rehabilitation treatment and appropriate prescription of AP – an essential step in supporting recovery and restoring independence.
