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Is the Australian hospital system adequately prepared for terrorism? The Australian Government’s response

Mary Murnane and David M Cooper
Med J Aust 2005; 183 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb00037.x
Published online: 5 December 2005

The government has undertaken roles in disaster planning and coordination to complement hospital and workforce readiness

Rosenfeld and colleagues1 make many excellent points about individual hospital preparedness for terrorism. However, the article fails to fully contextualise the overarching emergency management arrangements and the considerable work that all levels of government have undertaken to support individual hospitals, area health services, jurisdictions and the nation as a whole.2,3 Many of the activities they suggest are already in place in different states. These include chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) training and health student training; media management; and tracking and identification of patients.


  • 1 Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Woden, ACT.
  • 2 Counter Disaster Unit, NSW Health Department, Ambulance Service of New South Wales, Rozelle, NSW.


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