In early March, Katherine experienced significant flooding when the Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres on 7 March — the town’s worst flooding in 28 years — resulting in the evacuation and temporary closure of Katherine Hospital. 

Just two weeks later, further flooding was forecast as ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle moved towards the region. 

With river levels expected to rise again, the hospital evacuated once again as a precaution. 

To support NT Health and ensure continuity of healthcare services during the hospital closure, the Australian Government deployed AUSMAT to Katherine, where the team established an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) field hospital to support the community and local health services. 

While AUSMAT typically deploys to major national and international disasters, this marked the first time this level of AUSMAT capability had been deployed domestically in Australia. 

The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, strategically located in Darwin, manages and coordinates the AUSMAT capability for the Australia Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 

The NCCTRC has been funded since 2005 to ensure that Australia has robust capability to respond to health emergencies both domestically and internationally. 

The AUSMAT EMT field hospital included a 20-bed emergency department and primary care service with acute and resuscitation capability, a maternity delivery suite for urgent birthing needs, on-site laboratory and radiology services, and additional inpatient surge capacity for adult and paediatric patients. 

Staffed by AUSMAT personnel working alongside Katherine Hospital staff — including clinical and essential support staff — the facility ensured the Katherine community continued to have access to essential healthcare services during a challenging period of flooding and service disruption. 

Mission Team Lead and Acting Director Disaster Preparedness and Response Kath McDermott says the deployment was about ensuring the community continued to have access to healthcare while local services were impacted. 

“This deployment was about supporting the Katherine community and local health services during a very challenging time,” she says. 

“Working closely with NT Health and local partners, the AUSMAT team was able to rapidly establish a fully functioning field hospital to ensure healthcare services remained available while the hospital was temporarily closed.” TQ