PACMAT Clinical Director, Dr. Kalo Lalahi-Jermyn, spoke to PMN Tonga about this milestone and the significance of PACMAT’s work over the past two decades. 

“PACMAT has been around since the early 2000s. They responded initially to the Samoa tsunami in 2006, and that was the first time they deployed. And they've actually deployed 15 times since then around the region and within New Zealand in response to a number of different emergencies, national emergencies, things like the flooding in Hawke’s Bay a few years back, the bus crash that affected a number of Tongan students.” 

PACMAT also supports disaster responses throughout the Pacific, as well as outbreaks. The team works in close collaboration with local authorities and communities, adapting each deployment to the needs on the ground. 

“We don’t go saying, ‘you need this.’ They tell us what they need from us, and then we provide that back.” 

PACMAT’s structure as a Type 1 mobile team allows it to deliver urgent and primary care through doctors, nurses, and, when required, midwives, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dental teams, and mental health professionals. 

“With the EMT team, the idea behind the Emergency Medical Team Initiative was to look at what teams around the world do in response to an international disaster emergency and try and streamline it and form a set of standards to ensure that it's coordinated well.” 

She also spoke about the opportunity for mutual learning that comes with these deployments. 

“We work integrated with and alongside the local health providers, and that provides the opportunity for us to learn, but also for them to receive training from some of our professionals, which continues to enhance the work that they're doing there.” 

The WHO verification marks a significant milestone in PACMAT’s development, aligning them with international EMT standards and strengthening their ability to serve. 

“It’s a really cool achievement on behalf of PMA. It's something that is built on the work that's happened for pretty much two decades now. Verification means that internationally we achieve a recognised standard, and any country that calls on us knows exactly what they're getting in terms of the service we provide, the standard of care we provide. 

“We are ready, and now, globally recognised, when we are called.” 

Watch the full interview here.