The Joint Health Command is responsible for the delivery of military medicine and joint healthcare services to Australian Defence Force personnel, including military psychiatry and rehabilitation services. The JHC is also responsible for providing strategic health policy, the development of the health preparedness of ADF personnel for operations, and the coordination of health units for deployment in support of operations. JHC is led by the dual-hatted Commander Joint Health and Surgeon General of the ADF. The Commander Joint Health is responsible to the Chief of Joint Capabilities while deployed health units are responsible to the Chief of Joint Operations. The JHC is staffed by ADF active and reserve personnel, Department of Defencepublic servants, and contracted health professionals.
The Joint Health Command has contributed personnel to the United States Pacific Fleet's Pacific Partnership, a humanitarian assistance initiative, since 2005. In 2010, 25 personnel of the Joint Health Command, supported by and acting as forward operating platform for remote medical and dental clinics, deployed to North Maluku and assisted in medical treatment for over 5000 patients and 150 surgeries onboard.
In 2008, the health personnel from the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force provided two rotations of 10 surgical and intensive care personnel in support of the Dutch Role 2 Medical Treatment Facility also called the Uruzgan Medical Centre located in Kamp Holland in Tarin Kowt, the capital of the southern Uruzgan province known as AUSMTF teams.
Role
Joint Health Command provides health care to ADF members and ensures the health preparedness of ADF personnel for operations, and, deployable elements of JHC for deployment in support of operations. To effect this, JHC develops strategic health policy, provides strategic level health advice and exercises technical and financial control of ADF health units.
Structure
The JHC is staffed by medical, dental and allied health professionals. These staff may also provide garrison health services to ADF members while they are not on deployment. A total of 1699 health practitioners work in garrison health services comprising 403 public servants, 510 defence personnel, and 786 contractors working on a sessional basis. The Joint Health Command is made up of the:
Garrison Health Operations Branch which is responsible for the delivery and management of healthcare to ADF personnel within Australia and on non-operational postings overseas.
Mental Health, Psychology and Rehabilitation Branch which provides mental health support across occupational psychology, rehabilitation services, and mental health clinical programs.
Health Capability Branch which oversees health resources and logistics, pharmacy, workforce development and training, and strategic health capabilities.
Strategic Health Coordination Branch which oversees family health, health and medical research, and eHealth data and information management.
