| Unit Name: | Joint Health Command |
| Dates: | 2001- |
| Country: | Australia |
| Branch: | Australian Defence Force Chief of Personnel |
| Role: | Military health |
| Garrison: | Campbell Park Offices, Canberra |
| Identification Symbol 4: | JHC |
| Identification Symbol 4 Label: | Abbreviation |
| Current Commander: | Rear Admiral Sarah Sharkey |
The Joint Health Command (JHC) is responsible for the delivery of military medicine and joint healthcare services to Australian Defence Force (ADF) 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 Personnel while deployed health units are responsible to the Chief of Joint Operations. The JHC is staffed by ADF active and reserve personnel, Department of Defence public servants, and contracted health professionals.[1] [2] [3]
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 (Enhanced) Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) also called the Uruzgan Medical Centre located in Kamp Holland within Multi National Base Tarin Kot in Tarin Kowt, the capital of the southern Uruzgan province known as AUSMTF teams.[4]
Joint Health Command (JHC) 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.
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:
The JHC's delivery of garrison health services is via a regional structure for medical facilities through Regional Health Services (RHS) that provide the basis for healthcare administration. JHC manages 104 garrison health facilities.[5]
Central New South Wales (JHU-CNSW)
Southern NSW ACT (JHU-SNSW)
Victoria and Tasmania (JHU-VICTAS)
Western Australia and South Australia (JHU-WASA)
Northern Territory (JHU-NT)
Northern Queensland (JHU-NQ)
South Queensland (JHU-SQ)
Northern New South Wales (JHU-NNSW)
| Rank | Name | Postnominals | Service | Term began | Term ended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1979 | |||||
| Major General | Army | 1985 | 1990 | |||
| 1990 | 1992 | |||||
| Major General | Army | 1992 | 1996 | |||
| Air Vice Marshal | RAAF | 1996 | 1998 | |||
| Major General | Army | 1998 | 2001 | |||
| Air Vice Marshal | RAAF | 2001 | 2005 | |||
| 2005 | 2008 | |||||
| Major General | Army | 2008 | 2011 | |||
| Rear Admiral | RAN | 2011 | 2015 | |||
| Air Vice Marshal | RAAF | 2015[6] | 2019 | |||
| Rear Admiral | RAN | 2019 |