DILI, Timor-Leste – Timorese medical personnel and military government agencies conducted a mass casualty exercise with Pacific Partnership 2019 (PP19) participants at Guido Valdares National Hospital, April 26.
The evolution replicated a possible local emergency that could result in multiple patient injuries.
“Through today’s exercise, the hospital staff developed a footprint to be able to care for the casualties presented to their facility,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Abigail White. “We are all better prepared should an event happen in the future.”
U.S. military personnel supported medical assessments and triage as well as stabilizing simulated patients.
“I realize the valuable abilities and skills we learn during these simulated exercises,” said Timorese doctor Celestino Ximenes. “We need this training and a step-by-step process in order to continue saving lives.”
Civilian and military personnel volunteered to roleplay as patients while participants practiced their emergency care techniques during a simulated emergency.
Pacific Partnership, now in its 14th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Each year, the mission team works collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific.