29 April 2014
Second New Zealand and Australian Medical Team Arrives in Honiara
An 11-person New Zealand and Australian medical team arrived in Honiara on Monday 28 April to assist the National Referral Hospital with an influx of patients following the recent floods.
The team replaces an initial New Zealand and Australian medical team who have been in country since 16 April.
The team has worked with Ministry of Health and Medical Services personnel to treat hundreds of patients at the National Referral Hospital as well as the Good Samaritan Hospital in Tetere.
As well as treating patients, the team has implemented a range of measures to support the National Referral Hospital, including sourcing new equipment and supplies for the emergency department, improving communications, workplace safety and increasing mosquito controls.
Dr Aaron Oritaimae, Chairman of Hospital Emergency Operations Centre, welcomed the new team and thanked the initial team for their hard work.
“The people in the public are happy that you are here and they feel that they are being looked after. We really appreciate your support”.
The team will be in country until 10 May.
New Zealand and Australia have previously deployed medical personnel to Solomon Islands in times of crisis. Both countries provided medical teams in response to the dengue outbreak last year, helping to treat patients, manage workloads and provide relief for exhausted local staff.