SAS on hospital mission in PNG

AUSTRALIAN SAS special forces will make a mercy dash to PNG’s Eastern Highlands on a reconnaissance mission to help a remote local district hospital without running water, medicines or even mattresses.

The move came after Defence Minister Linda Reynolds visited the Okapa district province of her PNG ministerial counterpart Saki Soloma and was so moved by the lack of basic amenities.

Pregnant women were walking hours for help, patients were bringing their own mattresses or lying on beds without any and there was no running water.

She sat with many in the “wards” including a one-monthold child with pneumonia.

Mr Soloma, escorting the senator with a hospital nurse, conceded there were challenges in his electorate including funding and infrastructure.

Senator Reynolds was to ask her Defence administration whether Special Forces, due for specialist jungle training in PNG in coming weeks, could be redeployed after their mission to evaluate the Okapa District Hospital.

The elite SAS squad are not only highly trained in behind enemy lines warfare but are self-sustainable and can also perform detailed reconnaissance assessments on infrastructure and medical needs for engineers and other units to follow.

The PNG-based head of the Australian Defence staff Colonel James Kidd said there was a Special Forces exercise soon to be held in PNG that could be tasked.

“The state of the hospital is pretty poor and our minister is looking for a way of a relatively quick response and evaluation of that village’s (hospital) need,” he said, adding they had medical skills and could carry out resource and infrastructure assessments.

“I myself walked through

I SAW YOUNG AND OLD WOMEN, MEN AND CHILDREN, VERY SICK, ONE WITH VERY BADLY BROKEN LEGS

COLONEL JAMES KIDD

that community hospital and saw young and old women, men and children, very sick, one with very badly broken legs and they were lying on beds with no mattresses and it’s very hard to walk past that without wanting to make some form of difference and while the defence program (with PNG) is based on the defence force we are always looking for opportunities to ensure there are benefits for the local community.”

As she left the hospital, Senator Reynolds said “from my heart and my family to yours, we will come back and we will work out what more we can do for you here. I look forward to coming back”.