In the wake of Sri Lanka's tsunami: the health for the south capacity-building project

Abstract

In response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, the Health for the South Project was developed for Sri Lanka. The capacity-building component of this project involves the provision of trauma and emergency care training to the staff of Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK) in Galle, Sri Lanka. A principal objective of this training for THK is an increased capacity to respond to future disasters in the south of Sri Lanka. Key elements of the capacity-building programme include the on-site emergency care training by teams of Australian emergency physicians and emergency nurses, working alongside the staff of the Emergency Treatment Unit in THK. It is expected that the programme will continue for at least 2 years, during which time a new Emergency and Trauma Centre will be constructed.