AMA Transcript - AMA Vice President, Dr Stephen Parnis, Radio National, 2 October 2014

FRAN KELLY: US health authorities now have up to 18 people under observation, including some children, who've had contact with that first person diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in America. Confirmation came yesterday that a man who flew to Texas from Liberia later fell ill with this deadly fever. This came as the Abbott Government was facing tough questions in the Parliament about its commitment to the outbreak in West Africa, which has left more than 3000 people dead.

Medecins Sans Frontieres, the aid organisation on the frontline of the African Ebola outbreak, has described Australia's response to the outbreak as utterly inadequate. This stance has now been backed by the AMA and we're joined from Darwin this morning by the AMA Vice President, Dr Stephen Parnis.

Stephen, welcome to RN Breakfast.

STEPHEN PARNIS: Good morning, Fran.

FRAN KELLY: Can I just ask you first about the American situation? One man ill, diagnosed; another 18 people under surveillance. Does this change the game, do you think, for countries like ours, Western countries?

STEPHEN PARNIS: I suspect it raises the antenna a bit. What it really says is that this is not confined to one part of the world. This is a global issue and the numbers are growing quite dramatically. So it certainly focuses attention and I think it really tells us something about where the resources need to be.

FRAN KELLY: How prepared are we, here in Australia, for something like this?

STEPHEN PARNIS: We've got an excellent public health system; we've got surveillance all around the country. We've got distance, that acts as a good safety net, but if anyone from West Africa who - well, is under surveillance and certainly, if they develop a fever then we've got everything in place to monitor, examine and treat, if need be.

FRAN KELLY: Okay. Let's go to the efforts to deal with this epidemic as it is in West Africa at the moment. Medecins Sans Frontieres has described Australia's efforts as utterly inadequate. The AMA is critical too; you've joined calls for the Australian Government to do more. What do you want the Government to do?

STEPHEN PARNIS: We do. We think that they need to make an absolute matter of urgency getting these unresolved issues of an exit strategy for any Australian health workers who may become infected doing this, because that would enable us to send our experts over there to help. Because that is what is required right now to try and contain the spread of this disease.

FRAN KELLY: Do you think that the comments from the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, were a little strange the other day when she said that there was no way Australia could safely evacuate its health workers if they were to contract the virus on the ground, therefore Australia will not be assisting and putting health workers at risk of contracting the virus. Is that the right way for a government to look at this, do you think?

STEPHEN PARNIS: Well I think the first point about it is that: yes, you need an exit strategy, just like you would in any military situation, but in the same way as we work with international partners, just as in Syria at the moment, we can do absolutely the same thing with Americans, the British and the other countries who are making similar arrangements.

This is an international, in fact a global effort and we need to play our part; $8 million doesn't cut it and I certainly agree with the MSF comment that our call at the Security Council for international assistance here is in contrast to our deeds on this matter.

FRAN KELLY: But when the Minister says - she was quite specific - we cannot physically, logistically do it, that is get people - make people safer, that 30-hour flying time. She said we don't possess military aeroplanes capable of evacuating Ebola sufferers.

STEPHEN PARNIS: We don't but maybe the different question needs to be asked, and I'm sure the experts in the departments of Foreign Affairs and Health can do this: what are the alternative strategies that we have? And certainly, working with international partners, potentially not evacuating an affected Australian all the way back to Australia but to somewhere closer would be appropriate. I mean we've got desperate countries here who would do a huge amount to facilitate the things that we could do so that that would enable Australian doctors and other health professionals to do what we're trained and capable of doing, and that is to contain this awful epidemic.

FRAN KELLY: It is six minutes to seven on Breakfast, our guest is Stephen Parnis, the AMA Vice-President, who is speaking to us from Darwin. Is the AMA aware of, or in fact coordinating, efforts of Australian doctors and other health workers who want to go to West Africa to help?

STEPHEN PARNIS: No, that's not our role. What we are aware of -

FRAN KELLY:  Are you aware of medicos who do want to go?

STEPHEN PARNIS: Absolutely. And we certainly have the expertise in this country. There are infectious diseases specialists, emergency physicians, logisticians, and others - whether that be via the military or AUSMAT teams, specialised teams that are trained to go into places where there are natural or other disasters and provide practical assistance.

FRAN KELLY: The MSF nurse we were speaking to the other day on the program said the Australian Government is actually actively getting in the way of people coming; it's putting up blockages to people coming. Is that how you understand it, beyond this exit plan issue? Because the Minister also said the other day that Australia hadn't been invited by the WHO to do more than simply commit money.

STEPHEN PARNIS: Well I would say that the World Health Organisation in its statements have been highlighting the international urgency and significance of this. Now, if Australia is waiting for an invitation with an envelope addressed to Minister Bishop then I think that that's inappropriate. I think we need to act urgently now. It's a false argument, I think.

FRAN KELLY: The - can doctors - I mean, doctors don't need to wait, we've already seen some Australian nurses head over there, we've spoken to a doctor earlier in the week who was - or last week - who was organising doctors who might want to go. So, medical staff, trained medical people don't need to wait for the Government to organise this, do they?

STEPHEN PARNIS: On the contrary, I think you have to be, if you are involved with these things, you have to be part of an organised professional group. Now, on a number of occasions non-government organisations can do that role - the Red Cross, Medecins Sans Frontieres - but on something like this we're now getting to the stage where it has to require Government support, organisation. Because if you don't have that then you lack the resources, the logistical arrangements, and you put yourself - and potentially the people around you - at greater risk. So, this isn't just about good intention, this is about serious resourcing and professional organisation and coordination.

That's what the Western African countries like Liberia lack in basic health care; because the way to manage an epidemic such as this is not with high-tech equipment, it's about professional organisation and isolation and treatment procedures.

FRAN KELLY: Okay. Stephen Parnis, thank you very much.

STEPHEN PARNIS: Thanks very much, Fran.

FRAN KELLY: Dr Stephen Parnis is the Federal Vice-President of the AMA.

2 October 2014

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