Ahead of the close of the final day of presentations at the 2024 Africa Downunder Conference in Perth, volunteer organisation Australian Doctors for Africa shared some insights into the synergies between their service provision and the work of the mining and exploration industry.
Australian Doctors for Africa are underpinned by more than 120 Australian and international specialists, who donate their time to train and equip surgeons, physicians and nurses in some of the poorest parts of Africa.
CEO Dr Graham Forward said a key tenet of the organisation was that it only went to places where it was invited to help, which had been the case since he founded Australian Doctors for Africa in 2005.
“We are not an organisation that wants to impose our values or assistance on others, but we are frequently invited to go, in an Australian way, and give other countries a hand with their medical development,” Dr Forward said.
Most of the organisation’s activities currently take place in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Somaliland, while having also just started a project in Zimbabwe and monitoring the situation in South Sudan.
“We are based in Perth, we provide medical specialists, and we train and equip and build capacity. Because of the Australian mining culture, we are heavily supported by family and friends who are integral to the Australian mining industry.”
“I wanted to explain to you how we are possibly relevant to the mining and exploration industries. Traumatology is the number one cause of morbidity, disability and mortality throughout Africa, with motor vehicle accidents, industrial trauma and civil wars in these countries.
“Our idea is to train and equip local doctors, surgeons and hospitals so they can cope with this burden.
“These are the very communities in which mining and exploration companies operate – the people who suffer from motor vehicle trauma and industrial trauma are either your employees or their families or people who are known to you.”
Australian Doctors for Africa founder and CEO Dr Graham Forward.
