SAF MEDICAL TEAM ARRIVES IN EARTHQUAKE-HIT SUMATRA

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) sent a 54-strong medical team, including seven doctors and nurses from the Ministry of Health, to Indonesia on 3 Oct, to provide primary healthcare and surgical aid to victims of the earthquake that struck West Sumatra on 30 Sep.

Addressing the team at the send-off at Paya Lebar Air Base, Brigadier-General Tung Yui Fai, Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations), said: "First, you are there to provide the help that the people need. Second, you are not doing this alone... the entire SAF and Singapore are behind you."

Transporting the team and medical supplies were four Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 aircraft.

Sharing his thoughts about the mission on board the C-130 air craft, Major (MAJ) (Dr) Pang Hee Nee, Head Healthcare Cluster (West) at Military Medical Institute, Headquarters Medical Corp, told cyberpioneer: "I'm excited to go there, because this is what I've been training for, both as an officer and as a surgeon. I'm expecting to do my best to save lives and limbs."

Upon arrival, the team set up a medical facility beside Pariaman Public Hospital in Pariaman, a coastal town 50km from the epicentre of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake at Padang.

After a brief discussion with the hospital's administrative staff on how the SAF team can contribute, medical team leader Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (Dr) Mohamad Rosman Bin Othman said: "There are certain facilities, equipment and expertise that the hospital requires. They don't have anaesthetic machines, so we will operate on the patients in the theatre that we have set up...they've also requested help in x-rays and ECGs, so we'll form teams to assist them."

"In addition, they require help in the emergency department, because it's quite busy sometimes. So we'll see how best we can work with them," he said.

The medical team is expected to start treating patients on 4 Oct.

For related content, visit the SAF's Humanitarian Assistance for Sumatra Earthquake website, cyberpioneer Flickr gallery and cyberpioneerTV YouTube channel.