MEDICS IN PNG - Royal New Zealand Navy

MC 07-0286-07
PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
Locals wave a warm
welcome as the Medcap
team lands near Madang
BY MC3 LEONARD MANDAP, USS PELELIU PUBLIC AFFAIRS
RNZN JOINS PACIFIC
PARTNERSHIP TEAM
AMED Andrea Gooch was
one of the team deployed
on Pacific Partnership
BY SURGEON COMMANDER JOHN DUNCAN RNZN,
DIRECTOR OF NAVAL MEDICINE, NAVAL HEALTH SERVICES
PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP:
MEDICAL AID TO PNG
Photo: USN
SEVEN sailors from the Royal New Zealand
Navy joined USS PELELIU (LHA 5) underway
in support of Pacific Partnership to assist in
humanitarian medical efforts in South East
Asia and Oceania. One Surgeon Commander,
one Warrant Officer Medic, two Leading
Medics, and three Able Medics helped to
provide free medical assistance for the
people of Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon
Islands. The RNZN medical team stayed
aboard the PELELIU for three weeks.
‘We are like your (hospital corpsmen), we
do a little of everything,’ said Able Medic Melanie
Bainbridge. ‘We do medical examinations
all day long, basic medical services, and
we are also trained for emergency care.’
Warrant Officer Medic Lee Matrevers
said, ‘Our mission is to basically see how
the US Navy operates and join the other
nations on this mission to see where we
can help out.’
It is Matrevers’s first time in a USN ship,
especially one so ‘massive,’ he said. He
explained that he’s done medical missions
before, but nothing at this scale. ‘It feels
great - It’s really neat to see how other
The RNZN
Medical Team
• SGN CDR John Duncan [Hamilton]
• WOMED Lee Matravers
[Whangapaoroa]
• LMED Tracey Richdale [Wanganui]
• LMED Natasha Gill [Northcote]
• AMED Andrea Gooch [Stratford]
• AMED Melanie Bainbridge [Levin]
• AMED Toni Simmonds [Masterton]
people operate and how they live. There are
quite a few similarities with the US Navy and
the RNZN from damage control to how we
actually live and talk onboard.’
It is also Able Medic Toni Simmonds’ and
Able Medic Melanie Bainbridge’s first time
aboard a US ship and their first time actually
out to sea. They compared RNZN ships to
USN ships. ‘Their rooms are a lot bigger and
we only have a hundred people on our ships
(whereas) this one has over one thousand,’
said Simmonds. ‘It’s a really cool experience
to be in the PELELIU.’
Bainbridge said, ‘To be asked to do this
mission is a pretty big deal, it’s pretty
cool.’
The Pacific Partnership team consists of
USS PELELIU sailors, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and military medical
volunteers from India, Canada, Japan, Australia,
Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, and now
New Zealand. This 2007 Pacific Partnership
is a representation of how many diverse
groups can work together towards a common
goal and help under-privileged areas
around the world.
SGN CDR Duncan went ashore on 7 August
for the official welcome to PNG with
representatives of all Pacific Partner Nations,
NGOs and USN Command, where they were
greeted by PNG officials. WOMED Matrevers
said, ‘Joining with other nations sends
a message to the rest of the world that we
can work as a team together to achieve
something that’s good.’
WE joined the PELELIU in Singapore and
sailed that afternoon. At 40,000 tones and
nearly 900 ft long there is a lot of ship and
we are getting used to it, but still are getting
lost every now and then. The crew
are fantastic and clearly are used to the
new folk getting lost! There is a huge USN
medical/surgical /dental /optometrical/
engineering /nursing component. The US
crew are wonderful and really are the most
fantastic hosts
There is a large military as well as NGO
medical/veterinary and engineering component
aboard. We are still meeting everyone
and there is a lot of planning for when we
get to PNG and start the mission proper.
We will be taking part in four types of aid
programmes:
• Medcap - medical aid running clinics and
seeing patients
• Vetcap - veterinarians
• Dencap - dental
• Encap - engineering projects
THE PLANNING PHASE
We will be in PNG from 8 - 18 August;
we are not sure at this stage how many
medical staff from PNG we will be working
with. While we are on our way, we are
undertaking all the planning. We will be in The Medcaps consist of primary care doctors
like myself and many others. We have
the Mandang area, conducting Medcaps
and Dencaps at four sites: at Josephstaal paediatricians, ophthalmologists, general
(4 days), and at Ileg, Bunabun and Miak surgeons and cardiologists. There are two
(two days each). We will also be running a US Navy Optometrists who will be consulting
and providing glasses to the local popu-
medical consultancy at the Gaubin Hospital.
There is radio advertising and so we expect lation. We also have a general surgeon and
to be busy, how busy we will not know until an ophthalmologist who will be performing
we get there.
surgery on the PELELIU.
SRGN CDR John Duncan with a patient during the clinic at Josephstall
Photo: USN
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