Minister emphasises importance of trauma management

Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Michael Farrugia highlighted the importance of proper trauma management when attending the Richmond Foundation annual conference titled “Dealing with Trauma”, according to a press statement issued by the government’s Department of Information (DOI).

The minister explained that trauma management is a fundamental element of emergency planning which is often overlooked, taken for granted or treated as an afterthought. In a crisis, where the onset of impacts could be very sudden and when risk events simply develop very fast, the effects of hazards are felt almost instantly.

The conference sought to address public policy development by highlighting the widespread appearance of trauma and underlining the importance of high-quality trauma-informed services, particularly with National Emergency Services.

“My ministry is actively planning for major incident scenarios by finalising the essential national emergency response and planning frameworks. Raising awareness is fundamental to bringing major incident trauma into the national and international social agenda. Further research is needed in this field and our government actively encourages and supports such initiatives,” said the minister.

The minister also analysed how multiple layers of victims can be directly affected and traumatised. The broader community can be in shock and even the emergency services themselves are not immune from the effects of shock, distress and suffering.