SAF MEDICAL TEAM KICKS-START ITS WORK IN BALI

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Kuta, Bali, the six-man Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical team is already busy assisting the local doctors and nurses of Sanglah General Hospital, in the care and treatment of victims of last weekend's bomb blasts.

Led by Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (Dr) Tay Guan Sze, the team arrived in Indonesia in the afternoon of 3 Oct.

According to LTC (Dr) Tay, the situation at the hospital has improved and stabilised since the three bomb attacks on 1 Oct. On that day, the hospital received about 60 patients, approximately half the number of victims injured in the blasts.

Since then, a majority of the victims who suffered serious injuries to the abdomen, chest, face and brain, have been operated on, and they are now under close observation.

But there is still more work to be done.

Since arriving, the SAF team has established a good rapport with the Indonesian medical staff, and has been working tirelessly alongside the Indonesians, coordinating ways in which it can provide additional support.

Revealing the team's plans for the next few days, LTC (Dr) Tay said: "We are now focusing on casualties with limb injuries but are in less life-threatening situations."

In fact, the team is expected to assist in two or three operations scheduled in the next few hours.

Said LTC (Dr) Tay: "Both our doctors are general surgeons who are trained in handling trauma cases. Our two qualified nurses will assist in the care of patients, including those in the Intensive Care Unit, while our two paramedics will help manage casualties' wounds.

"I also hope they can work in the emergency department, to help manage any casualties that may still come in.

Not all casualties report to the hospital immediately after the blast, because, on the surface, they may have suffered apparently small wounds. However these victims may start to feel pain two or three days later due to the infection of ball bearings or shrapnel
still embedded deep in their bodies, explained LTC (Dr) Tay.

The SAF medical team will also help monitor patients' progress post-operation, to ensure no complications arise as a result of the surgery.

Singapore s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, accompanied by Indonesian President, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and other Singapore ministers visited the victims of the bomb attacks at the hospital on 4 Oct.

Speaking to the media after the visit, Mr Lee expressed his sympathies to the victims and their families.

Standing next to Dr Yudhoyono, Mr Lee also condemned the bombing, and expressed confidence that the Indonesian authorities will exert "all their efforts to the maximum in order to solve this case".

This suspected terrorist attack has also struck a chord with LTC (Dr) Tay. He said: "We are here not just to provide manpower support and expertise. More importantly, we are here to show that a terrorist attack is not just a single country's problem; it affects other countries too.

"Neighbouring countries will always show their support to the affected country, and we will stand by them in their fight against terrorism."

03 Oct 05 - SAF Deploys Medical Team to Bali