BY MIKE TUA
THOUSANDS of Solomon Islanders in Honiara and two neighboring provinces are expected to benefit from the medical mission of the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) over the two weeks.
It is anticipated that 100 surgeries will be conducted on board the ship, which is currently anchoring at Point Cruz Harbour, Honiara. These include internal medicine, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, dental, and other general surgery.
U.S. Navy Pacific Partnership, Medical Planner, Lt. Cmdr. Larry Cowles, told local journalists who attended the weekend’s press conference held at Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara that he has been working closely with Dr. Titus Nasi of the National Referral Hospital towards the visit of USNS Mercy and more especially to schedule the events that they will work in the country.
“We are looking forward to doing these events and working together, so around 100 surgeries will be done on the ship.
“I have been working with Dr. Titus to put together our plan, to have our physicians and dentists and our nurses to work hand in hand with the nation to exchange knowledge and see your patients together so that we can ally together.
“We will be doing that in a few different methods – So there will be both surgeries done on the ship and as well in the hospitals in Gizo, Western Province, and Malaita.
“We are also going to be doing side-by-side missions, which will be again sharing of knowledge in the hospital here in our reach as well as in Gizo and Malaita and we will be doing side by sides in gynecology, ophthalmology, and internal medicine as well as nursing events as well.
“We don’t have all the specialties available so that’s why we cannot do all sorts of different surgeries but from what we have, that’s how the patients have been selected and from what has been given to us, those patients will be selected from there,” Lt. Cmdr. Larry Cowles said.
Dr. Titus Nasi, Acting Medical Superintendent and Head of Paediatrics Ward at the National Referral Hospital said there are tentative lists, but Larry said we will change the program by the day or hour and on what’s going to happen.
“There are thousands of medical bookings for dentistry, 70 cases for surgery, and we might add some more patients; and I know that the Mercy can take up to 16 to 20 surgeries.
“We have been booking patients and selecting them and there is a record we have and as the dentist team, the obstetrician of the surgeons have listed several cases, so it’s a selection of several cases aligned with what sort of services the hospital ship is providing.
“In that sense, it’s what that could be done in the one week and so we are not shooting too high and the patients will remain with us, so we hope to do things that are possible to be done and hopefully the care is provided so that the patients can get better and go home with minimal support from the local team.
“Earlier, we have ward rounds together, talking about patients and discussing issues with the patients and deciding on what sort of treatment, deepening on the equipment, the consumables and the medicines that we have available and I know they will be giving out some of the medicines they have on-board for the patients when they go home and we will ensure the right selection of patients to receive that care.
“So both the nurses and the doctors are looking forward to a very fruitful week and I have patients calling up, “can I come to the ship” and I said: “we need to organize and, there are procedures that need to be organized to get on board but I understand that Lt. Cmdr. Larry Cowles, U.S. Navy Pacific Partnership, Medical Planner and his team have been organizing how we can go about doing that.”
“We are looking forward to the services. I understand we have an orthopedic team, so anybody with glasses can come on board, we have an eye regional center here that is supporting that and well able to collect from them,” Dr. Titus Nasi said.
Sunday Isles understands that the hospital ship, Mercy can provide full hospital capabilities and services, including surgery, radiology, optometry, dermatology, physical therapy, dialysis, a pharmacy, a blood bank, and dental.
