Australia is sending dozens of medical staff to Indonesia as part of a $5 million response to the country’s deadliest quakes and tsunamis in almost a decade.
Speaking from Washington, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said the funds will help provide emergency health care support for an initial period of 21 days.
“This is a very significant disaster. It’s an extraordinary challenge,” Minister Payne told reporters in Washington.
Thousands of Cans line up neatly waiting to be filled in at a gas station in the city of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on October 2, 2018.
AAP
Over 50 Australian medical professionals will be deployed to Indonesia to set up a temporary emergency and surgical care hospital to assist locals on the ground.
Australian nurses and doctors will also work in “mobile teams” of up to 4 people across the affected area with the capacity to treat up to 50 patients a day.
READ MORE
Indonesia disaster: Time running out in search for survivors
Ms Payne said the remote location is making the relief effort more difficult.
“I understand there are significant challenges from liquefaction, so solid earth turning effectively into quick sand that makes movement and engagement very difficult.”
