Mercy Arrives at Indonesia's Simeulue Island
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060712-05
Release Date: 7/12/2006 10:24:00 AM
From USNS Mercy Public Affairs
SIMEULUE ISLAND, Indonesia (NNS) -- The U.S. Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived off the coast here July 12 to provide humanitarian and civic assistance to the people in the area.
This mission reflects longstanding ties between the United States and Indonesia, as well as continued U.S. commitment to work together to address mutual problems and concerns. The five-month deployment began April 24 and includes stops in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia and East Timor.
Mercy’s assistance to Indonesia during this deployment began more than a month ago after a devastating earthquake struck the island of Java May 27. Several Mercy Sailors were sent to aid in relief efforts while the ship was still in the Philippines.
“When we got there, we saw the destruction. Homes had fallen and other commercial buildings had fallen. There was destruction everywhere,” said Lt. Steven Santoyo, a family practice doctor who assisted in the earthquake relief effort. “We would see anywhere from 300 to 500 patients a day.”
“Everything worked out perfectly,” said Santoyo. “It was an incredible experience because everyone worked as a team. Everyone was there for the same mission.”
The ship’s mission is being carried out in conjunction with nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and in close coordination and partnership with local medical care professionals. Volunteers from Aloha Medical Mission, Project HOPE and the University of California at San Diego’s Pre-Dental Society joined Mercy, along with a contingent of military medical specialists from the United States, India, Singapore and Canada.
“It is important that we do everything we can to show our commitment to the nongovernmental organizations we will work with. They are able to open doors for us and provide insight in places that we in the military might not know,” said Capt. Bradley D. Martin, Mercy mission commander.
Earlier in this deployment, the Mercy medical staff treated numerous patients and performed a wide variety of medical procedures including surgeries, distribution of eyeglasses and performance of dental procedures during visits to Chittagong in Bangladesh, and Zamboanga, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines.
The crew aboard Mercy will partner with the local Simeulue hospital as the host nation patient screening and referral site for professional exchanges, such as OB/GYN, general surgery, pediatric services and biomedical equipment repair.
“We’ll get to see people who wouldn’t otherwise get to see the doc so easily,” said Santoyo. “It may be anywhere from colds and flu to infections and urgent problems. We are looking forward to it (being able to help these people in remote areas).”
U.S. and host nation governmental and private agencies have been planning the myriad details that go into this mission, including two days of medical and dental civil action projects that will provide focused humanitarian assistance to the people of Simeulue.
The San Diego-homeported ship can support various services such as casualty reception, optometry screenings, eyewear distribution, physical therapy, burn care, radiological and laboratory services, dermatology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, ophthalmologic surgery, plastic surgery, basic medical evaluation and treatment, preventative medicine treatment, dental screenings and treatment, immunizations, public health training and assessment, vector control and veterinary services.
In addition, the 894-foot-long ship has embarked a small team of Sailors from the Naval Construction Force (Seabees) to perform repair and minor construction projects in the host countries. Some of these construction projects can directly improve medical and sanitary situations. The U.S. Navy Show Band is also deployed aboard the ship and will be performing in select locations throughout Simeulue.
Mercy is uniquely capable of supporting medical and humanitarian assistance needs and can rapidly respond to a range of situations on short notice. Last year, Mercy deployed in response to the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia. That deployment resulted in the treatment of thousands of patients in Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea.
“The Mercy crew, including the Military Sealift Command, Mercy Medical Treatment Facility and our NGO partners, has done a remarkable job delivering needed services,” Martin said. “If you look at the huge number of patients we have seen in the Philippines, it is just incredible. I think this crew has responded flexibly with a great sense of mission accomplishment.”
For related news, visit the Pacific Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cpf/.
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