ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 235
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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The experiences of a GP volunteering in an evacuation
centre during the Lismore flood disaster
Dr David Glendinning1
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Goonellabah Medical Centre, 2Northern NSW Local Health District
Aim
Detail the experiences of a general practitioner volunteering at the main evacuation centre at Lismore
during the flood disaster.
Content
The 2022 floods that occurred in Lismore devastated the local town and surrounding districts.
The 14.4-m-high flood destroyed homes, damaged roads and essential infrastructure and either
displaced or cut off thousands of people.
The impacts of the flood put an enormous strain on the local and regional health system. Medical and
pharmacy buildings were damaged, staff were displaced or stranded in their homes unable to attend
work and logistic links for basic supplies cut off.
General practitioners are well placed as medical professionals to respond in the time of natural
disasters. Their intimate knowledge of how their local health system works and interacts, their
understanding of the workings of their local community and topography and their broad clinical skills
mean they are well placed to support their local community during times of natural disaster. The
2019–20 Royal Commission report into national natural disaster arrangements recommended that
all levels of government should facilitate greater inclusion of primary healthcare providers in disaster
management. Despite this, planning for GPs’ involvement in disaster response has been ad hoc and
varied.
Goals
1. Understand the skills that GPs can provide during disaster responses.
2.
How GPs can fit in within disaster response structures.
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