Regional Engagement Program: a year in review

10 Dec 2024

Written by:

The NCCTRC’s Regional Engagement Program (REP) works to strengthen regional capacity within acute health care systems to effectively and equitably respond to health emergencies across the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Funded by the Australian Government, the REP actively supports and collaborates with the Ministries of Health and key stakeholders in seven countries, focusing on building improved integration, coordination, and inclusiveness in national health emergency preparedness, response capacity, and systems. REP’s initiatives are organised into four streams of work – emergency and critical care, rehabilitation in emergencies, health emergency management, and National Emergency Medical Team (NEMT) capability development.

Regional Engagement Program Outcomes

Improved capacity for national health emergency workforce to respond to health emergencies

Clinicians, allied health and rehabilitation professionals, managers and emergency responders have:

  • increased local delivery of capacity building activities.
  • increased awareness of gender-based violence risks in emergencies, and integration within health sector response.
  • increased knowledge and skills in health emergency response management
  • improved awareness of impacts of disasters on women and people with disability
  • improved adoption of health emergency response practices and systems.
Increased coordination and integration within and across national health emergency systems

Improved coordination of health emergency response and care within hospitals.

Improved coordination and interoperability between key health and emergency service agencies.

Improved coordination and interoperability between health leadership and NDMOs in managing national health emergencies.

Improved health emergency responses across the region through strengthening of networks and communities of practice

Increased exchange of knowledge and experience across the region.

Increased local leadership and delivery of emergency response training and skills development across the region.

Evidence from local health emergency responses informs regional practices and policies

Greater balance of gender and professional disciplines in health emergency planning, preparedness and response

National decision makers are actively promoting gender equality through selection of participants for training and support.

Female clinicians, first responders, and allied health and rehabilitation professionals have increased skills and confidence to take up operational leadership roles in health emergency response.

Policies and practices are strengthened to ensure gender equality, women’s leadership, disability and social inclusion are integrated in health emergencies.

REP activities and achievements

Between July 2023 to June 2024, the REP successfully delivered 49 activities in collaboration with local Ministries of Health and key stakeholders across the region. REP activities and work plans were directly informed by a series of individual country planning workshops, and aligned in support of locally and regionally identified priorities in health emergency preparedness and response.

Activities included short course delivery, field training and exercises, operational mentorship, participation and representation in key regional forums and meetings, and facilitating webinars and workshops across nine countries throughout the Pacific including Nauru and Palau, and Timor-Leste.

The short course delivery primarily focused on the Essentials of Critical Care (ECC) course, the Rehabilitation in Disasters and Emergencies (RIDE) course, and various versions of the Major Medical Incident Management and Support (MIMMS) courses, including MIMMS Advanced, MIMMS Team Provider, and Hospital MIMMS (HMIMMS).

Courses delivered by REP
July 2023 - June 2024

Essentials of Critical Care (ECC) Course

The development and delivery of this course are led by the REP’s Emergency and Critical Care stream lead, Beth Price. Between July 2023 - June 2024, five courses were delivered in Fiji, Timor-Leste, and Tonga. The three-day course focuses on the clinical and operational application of knowledge at the bedside. The course is aimed at healthcare professionals who manage critically ill patients both in ward areas and in critical care facilities throughout the Indo-Pacific. The modules focus on nursing assessment, basic life support skills, recognising and managing deterioration, and managing oxygen therapy.

Rehabilitation in Disasters and Emergencies (RIDE) course

The REP’s Rehabilitation stream lead, Erica Bleakley, leads the development and delivery of this two-day foundational course, which has been successfully delivered five times across Fiji, Timor-Leste, and Tonga between July 2023 and June 2024.

The course highlights the critical roles of rehabilitation professionals in supporting health system planning and responses to disasters and health emergencies. The overall goal is to strengthen the ability of rehabilitation professionals in the Pacific and Timor-Leste to improve outcomes for individuals with injuries, illnesses, or pre-existing disabilities following a health emergency. The RIDE course is aimed at rehabilitation professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, prosthetic and orthotic clinicians, doctors, nurses, and others, as well as senior leadership staff in decision-making roles.

1O3A1504

I'm proud to be part of this training, it has levelled up my capacity and I can share knowledge with others.

RIDE course participant, Timor-Leste (translated from Tetun)

Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS) courses

The MIMMS courses - MIMMS Team Provider, MIMMS Advanced and HMIMMS are part of a series of internationally recognised courses developed by the Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG), which teaches a systematic approach to disaster medical management at the scene of mass casualty incidents. Based on practical skills, the courses are applicable and adaptable to health systems worldwide, encouraging cooperation and coordination across all agencies involved in managing disasters. Over time, the Pacific Faculty cohort has grown to include 48 locally based instructors from six countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Indonesia. Course curriculum and teaching materials were adapted specifically to ensure relevance for the Pacific context and translated into Tetun to ensure accessibility, and support learning and engagement in Timor-Leste.

MIMMS Team Provider

The MIMMS Team Provider is a one-day course that provides participants with a structured approach to responding to a major incident in pre-hospital settings. Between July 2023 and June 2024, three courses were delivered to Fiji, Samoa and Palau. Based on seven key principles, it includes structured lectures, skill stations, workshops, and interactive tabletop exercises. Aimed at individuals likely to be involved in major incident responses but not in a command or coordination role, the course offers an introduction to key concepts essential for effective participation in such events.

MIMMS Advanced

The three-day MIMMS Advanced course offers participants a deeper understanding of the strategic and tactical aspects of medical management in health emergencies. Between July 2023 and June 2024, four courses were delivered in Nauru, Fiji, Samoa and Palau. The course consolidates skills in teamwork, triage, incident command and control, communications, and safety. Aimed at doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, military personnel, and others in senior positions likely to take on coordination or command roles during mass casualty events, the course equips participants with the knowledge and tools necessary for effective decision-making and leadership during major incidents.

HMIMMS

The REP has successfully introduced the HMIMMS course to the Pacific and Timor-Leste. The HMIMMS course has been delivered across five countries: Timor-Leste, Fiji, Nauru, Tonga, and Samoa. The course involved participants from major hospitals across their health systems, including representatives from outside the capital cities, to foster shared understanding, improve integration, and reduce duplication in health emergency response plans.

HMIMMS is a two-day course designed to enhance hospital and emergency department preparedness, particularly for managing mass casualty incidents. It focuses on the priorities and responsibilities of both clinical and administrative responders. The course adopts an all-hazards approach while addressing specific incidents, such as burns and chemical hazards, and introduces the concept of the collapsible hierarchy as a critical element in an effective hospital-based response.

The course is tailored for multidisciplinary participants from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds. Key participants include doctors, nurses, other health professionals, as well as hospital administrators and management teams. It incorporates multiple tabletop simulations to highlight key phases in responding to surges in clinical activity across the hospital environment. Additionally, it offers a unique opportunity to review and test existing hospital response plans, enabling participants to develop facility-specific action plans to address identified gaps.

Activities in-country

Palau

Palau
2 activities
41 participants
1 in-country visit

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste
7 activities
141 participants
2 in-country visits

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea
3 activities
38 participants

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands
3 activities
6 participants

Nauru

Nauru
3 activities
42 participants
1 in-country visit

Vanuatu

Vanuatu
2 activities
5 participants

Fiji

Fiji
13 activities
155 participants
2 in-country visits

Samoa

Samoa
9 activities
117 participants
2 in-country visits

Tonga

Tonga
6 activities
58 participants
1 in-country visit

Highlights from REP

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0

participants took part in REP activities
ECCC 3

0%

of participants identified as female
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Pacific faculty members collaborated in course delivery
Participants Vanuatu

0

Sponsorships for AUSMAT training
10

0

activities delivered across 74 training days
EditNurseTOK

0

NurseTOK webinars facilitated
0Y4A7243

0

courses delivered
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courses were co-facilitated in collaboration with key regional partners

Within two days of delivering the ECC course at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, participants who had attended the course were involved in a patient resuscitation on the ward. It was observed by the Director of ICU that ECC course participants were teaching ward staff elements of resuscitation that they had learnt previously.

ECC course participant, Fiji

We might live in different countries but we often face the same challenges – limited staff and limited resources. MIMMS and HMIMMS teaches us how to maximise what we have, and that has made a real difference. The MIMMS principles have been crucial… gave us the tools to respond to in a structured way and how to coordinate across departments to manage patient surges

Dr Ratu Mara Vukivukiseru, Fiji
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