I am pleased and honored to invite you to attend and participate at The Eleventh Asia-Pacific Conference on Emergency and Disaster Medicine to be held on September 26 – 29, 2012 in Bali Indonesia. The needs for a better management both in the daily routine medical emergency and in the large scale medical casualties have been recognized as a pre-requisite to achieve the principle goal of Emergency and Disaster Medicine “TO SAVE LIVES AND LIMBS”. The extent of disaster do not confine only on the conventional one as we have been accustomed to for millions of years ever since the human presence on the Earth or even before it. The triple disaster recently in Japan in which natural disaster of a mega-earthquake followed by a killer Tsunami that killed over 30,000 people, were even made complicated by the destruction of nuclear reactors that release radio-active materials which already add the human sufferings that nobody knows when it will end.

The emerging emergencies such as the Avian Flu (H5N1) and swine Flu (H1N1) have added the medical and health problems not only to the Medical and Health communities but to the much broader sectors such as other public sectors both at national and global levels. The ease of communications and transportation have made the problems of pandemics become the focus of the United Nations effort in preventing colossal number of death as ever happened in the twentieth century. Complex emergencies such as conflicts based on political, religion, racial and economic differences have added the burden to the medical and health communities.

The Asia-Pacific region is characterized by the highest incidence of both natural and man-made disasters where there the existence of the ‘”Ring of Fire” represent not only the highest number of active volcanoes but also the longest vault line where the largest occurrence and highest magnitude of earthquakes take place. Within the last ten years alone mega-disasters (mega earthquake followed by killer Tsunami) which killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions of people and billions of dollars in property losses took place in this region in Indonesia and Japan.

The basic principle of enhancing the People Self Reliance so that they can be more prepared in disaster response and Intersectoral Coordination will be featured during the planned Simulation Exercise which will show the implementation of this principle on the village, regency, provincial, national and international levels.

Workshops and Trainings during the pre-Conference will provide knowledge and skill in disaster management for hospital directors and key staffs, nurses, and various health institutions including in the case of destruction on the health facilities.

It is my sincere hope to have you in the most beautiful place in the world Bali with the beauty of its people and the culture.

Thank You,

ABDUL RADJAK, MD, FICOG
President