New Zealand's emergency medical response to help tsunami victims in Samoa is winding down, Health Minister Tony Ryall says.
At the peak of the emergency New Zealand had more than 30 health professionals in Samoa providing wound care, infection control, surgery and trauma counselling, Mr Ryall said today.
But there had been no new tsunami-related medical cases in Apia Hospital in the past two weeks.
"A small Kiwi presence of a GP, two wound care nurses and a small number of trauma counsellors will stay on in Samoa until next week," Mr Ryall said.
"I would like to thank New Zealand health services and individual Kiwis for the prompt and generous way they have stepped up to help."
When Mr Ryall called for volunteers, 815 health professionals offered to go to Samoa to help tsunami victims.
New Zealand's health services would continue to help by providing visiting specialists over the next few weeks and months, he said.
Most of the medical equipment and supplies sent to Samoa during the emergency would stay there, he said.
NZPA