Home

Foreword

Regional Response Forces ::

VALIANT SHIELD:
Building Trust and Security

GREEN LIGHTNING: Providing Security in the Asia-Pacific Region

Transnational Operations ::

KHAAN QUEST 2006:
Enhancing Multinational Peacekeeping

Humanitarian Support ::

USNS Mercy Bringing Hope to Asia-Pacific Nations

C-17 Aircraft Marking A New Airlift Era in the Pacific

New Zealand Defence Force Providing Security and Reconstruction in Afghanistan

From BALIKATAN to Mudslide Relief

Happenings ::

Happenings

USNS Mercy in the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) medical personnel embarked on Mercy for the Philippine portion of the deployment, providing medical care with their U.S. counterparts. The ship’s medical personnel also worked with assistance organizations ashore, such as the Tzu Chi foundation, ACDI/VOCA, Save the Children, and the Philippine Red Cross.

Mercy’s medical teams, U.S. Navy Seabees, and U.S. Navy musicians provided care and support in Zamboanga, Jolo, and Tawi-Tawi. The medical teams helped train almost 700 local medical professionals and operated on more than 300 patients.

U.S. Navy Seabees completed 74 construction and engineering projects. In addition, Mercy’s U.S. Navy Showband performed at shows in every port for thousands of Filipinos. “A doctor can touch only one person at a time, but when we play we can touch everyone within ear shot,” said U.S. Navy PO1 Ian Charleton, a saxophone player.

Zamboanga
In just a few days after Mercy’s arrival in Zamboanga on 26 May, thousands of patients had received medical care from the ship’s medical teams. They treated conditions ranging from thyroid disease to cataracts and hernias. Rosiebel Atilano, a 25-year-old Filipino girl, who came to Mercy with a thyroid problem, said, “I am very happy that I’m here in the ship. They will operate for free – that makes me happy. (Everyone) was very helpful and accommodating.”

“We are very, very fortunate that the U.S. government has sent the Mercy to the Philippines to perform medical work for our people,” said the Mayor of Zamboanga, Celso Lobregat, while touring the ship on 28 May. “I can’t believe how many people have been treated in just a few days. Thank you so much to the U.S. government and the armed forces that are working together to make this happen.”

Medical teams went to schools, health centers, and hospitals as well as taking patients aboard the ship. In addition, a team, led by U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Donald R. Mattison, taught classes to local medical personnel on basic lifesaving and avian influenza awareness.

At the Tetuan Health Center, Mercy’s medical teams worked alongside Filipino doctors and nurses offering free medical care to local patients. “We really appreciate America coming here and helping us and our poor,” said Sylvia A. Lorena, a public health nurse at the center.

Philippine construction workers and U.S. Navy Seabees worked together to renovate parts of Zamboanga Medical Center. They installed acrylic glass barriers in rooms with no windows, constructed concrete walkways, repaired leaking roofs, and put up window screens. “The patients along with the medical staff are very happy that the hospital is in better shape,” said Anton Mari Lim, coordinator for the Tzu Chi Foundation. “The repairs are a big help to transferring patients, as well as the patients’ living conditions while they are here.”

“I never thought that the U.S. Navy would be here helping us make these repairs,” said Richie Bejerano, a Zamboanga construction worker. “We thank them for taking some of the load off our shoulders in making these repairs.”

Jolo
Arriving off the coast of the southern Philippine island of Jolo in Sulu province in early June 2006, Mercy medical personnel treated several thousand residents.  At Sulu Provincial Hospital, U.S. Navy Seabees built tables and benches for the patients and repainted the outside of the hospital.

A beautiful child, 13-year-old Soraya Tampalan had one very noticeable feature: a cleft lip. Admitted for surgery aboard the ship, Soraya and her grandmother told of the pain the young girl endured growing up. Soraya said she dropped out of third grade because other children would tease her. “They would laugh and then throw stones at me when I went to school,” she said. “I want to go back to school and get an education.”

Two-and-a-half hours after surgery, Soraya was wheeled to recovery. The surgery was a complete success, said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Craig Salt, a surgeon aboard Mercy. “Mobilizing the left cleft side and moving it to the midline, that’s the difficult part. It was a tough one.”

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was touring the ship, autographed a photo for Soraya and her grandmother. “I am going to show everyone in Jolo this,” said Soraya’s grandmother.

Other officials who toured the ship while it was in Jolo included Sulu Provincial Governor Benjamin Loong; Mayor of Jolo, Alkramer Ezquierdo; U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney; Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; and Admiral Roughead.

“We are so happy to have you here,” President Arroyo told a group of Filipino-American sailors. “We are so proud of you, and we are so grateful. All of your patients are so glad to have you here.”

Admiral Fallon told those aboard, “It’s an opportunity to use this unique capacity. No one else but the U.S. Navy has a hospital ship like this. We are striving for stability and security in this area, and fundamental to that is people being satisfied. If we help people in significant ways, it goes a long way. It’s these humanitarian works that make a huge impact on people.”

“On behalf of our people in the Sulu province, we are very thankful to the U.S. forces and to the personnel of this Mercy hospital,” said Sulu Governor Benjamin T. Loong. “Our people are very excited. Almost all of them wanted to come up to the USNS Mercy. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the U.S. corpsmen, doctors, and to everyone who has come to help our people.”

Tawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi province was the ship’s last stop in the Philippines. “[The Mercy mission] was very successful,” said Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali. “People were treated for many diseases. We hope this is only the first time you come, not the last.”

“This [medical] activity has had a dramatic effect on the people of Tawi-Tawi, and previously to the people of Sulu,” said Avelino Cruz, then Philippine Secretary of National Defense. “This is a powerful activity that can affect the mindset of the people here. It’s a better approach to life than conflict is. This tells us that there are people in the world that are willing to help; it is the right thing to do.”

USNS Mercy in Bangladesh
In Chittagong, Bangladesh, Mercy medical teams partnered with Chittagong Medical College Hospital as the host-nation patient screening and referral site for professional exchanges, such as obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery and pediatric services, biomedical equipment repair, and emergency obstetrics, midwifery, and basic wound and burn care education and training.

At the hospital, U.S. Navy Seabees replaced broken 30-year-old ceiling and exhaust fans, constructed cabinets for the operating room, and painted the pediatric ward with cartoon characters. At the same time, Mercy’s biomedical equipment repair team fixed the hospital’s infant incubators, microscopes, and electric surgical units, giving the hospital greater capabilities and funds for other expenses. The team also trained local electricians to repair many of the devices.

Mercy medical personnel fixed 60 young patients with facial deformities aboard the ship. “For us to be able to bring these children aboard and operate with all the support staff and medical people is just a bonus for us and a real treat,” said Dr. Robert Rubin, chief medical officer of Operation Smile.

Mercy’s medical personnel taught classes in the treatment and prevention of HIV, tuberculosis, and renal failure. U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Helen Chun, an infectious disease specialist, said, “The crucial part in this mission is the exchange of ideas. I think we brought some new insights and more up-to-date perspectives.”

E-mail: apdforum@apan-info.net