Australia: Health sector unites to urge govt action on bushfire smoke
In a united front, 28 health and medical groups have released a joint statement urging the federal and NSW governments to respond to the public health emergency in NSW created by the ongoing air pollution from bushfire smoke.
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ACEM President Dr John Bonning highlighted that hospital emergency departments (EDs) are at the forefront of treating the impacts from the bushfires.
“With projections showing that climate change will cause a significant rise in the number of overall ED presentations, an increase in the complexity of presentations as well as surges resulting from climate disasters, this medical emergency needs an emergency response,” Dr Bonning said.
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TSANZ recently declared that climate change is a medical emergency. The society’s President Professor Bruce Thompson said, “It is logical and reasonable for us, as respiratory health professionals, to act on the strength of the evidence before us. And the evidence is clear: climate change is a medical emergency that is already impacting the health of our patients.”
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