Doctors from Hong Kong and Australia have helped launch a new program to train Burma's first specialists in emergency medicine.

Led by Burmese-born, Hong Kong-based surgeon James Kong, the group has travelled to Burma to teach a system called Primary Trauma Care, which is currently being taught in 26 countries around the world.

Mr Kong says with a population of 60 million and only 30,000 doctors, there is a need to train "barefoot doctors" to prepare for disasters like the 2011 earthquake and Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

"We are helping the doctors who are already qualified, providing them in Primary Trauma Care skills a system or a toolset that would help them in their day-to-day confrontation with emergency patient," Mr Kong told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific.

The team has been well-received by the government, having been invited to work with Burma's Ministry of Health as well as the Myanmar Medical Association and universities.

Mr Kong says his team hopes to create a "hub-and-spoke effect", where the small group of doctors they train can then teach and be consulted by others.

"We're hoping that these people will become the grandfather emergency physicians for the country and that will help set up better emergency services, both in the hospital level as well as at the pre-hospital level," Mr Kong said.