U.S. Navy Ship Mercy Returns to Indonesia on Aid Mission
18 July 2006
Hospital ship will provides medical attention, construction assistance
Washington -- The U.S. Navy ship (USNS) Mercy has returned to Indonesia to provide assistance with construction projects and medical care, arriving near Simeulue Island off the west coast of Aceh Province July 12.
“The Mercy’s return to Indonesia exemplifies the strong ties between the United States and Indonesia and the U.S. commitment to partner with Indonesia in addressing humanitarian concerns and civic needs,” the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said in a press release issued July 13.
The current mission builds upon the previous successful deployment of the Mercy to the region in the aftermath of the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami, when 107,000 patients were treated by crewmembers, the press release said. (See related article.)
Mercy’s crew can provide a wide variety of medical services including optometry screenings, eyewear distribution, physical therapy, radiological and laboratory services, dermatology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, plastic surgery, basic medical evaluation and treatment, dental screenings and treatment, immunizations, public health training and assessment, vector control (monitoring animals and insects that spread disease) and veterinary services.
Indonesia is the third stop on the hospital ship's current mission, which is scheduled to run five months. Deploying from its home port of San Diego, April 24, Mercy arrived in the Philippines May 20, where the crew trained more than 700 local professionals and performed medical operations on more than 300 people during its monthlong stay. (See related article.)
While in the Philippines, Mercy also deployed personnel to provide assistance to Indonesia after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces on the island of Java May 27. (See related article.)
The Mercy also traveled to Bangladesh July 1-8, where the crew made repairs to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital and, in conjunction with the nongovernmental organization Operation Smile, performed corrective cleft lip and palate surgeries on 60 patients.
As they did during previous stops, Mercy’s team of healthcare providers will conduct medical, dental and civic action programs both onshore and at sea while in Indonesia.
In addition, the crew will work with Indonesian medical schools, hospitals and public health programs to provide training that will have long-term benefits for the participants and their communities, the embassy press release said.
"We'll get to see people who wouldn't otherwise get to see the doc so easily," Lieutenant Steven Santoyo, a family practice doctor, said in a July 12 press release from the U.S. Pacific Fleet. "It may be anywhere from colds and flu to infections and urgent problems. We're looking forward to it [being able to help these people in remote areas]."
Volunteers from Aloha Medical Mission, Project Hope and the University of California at San Diego Pre-Dental Society are among the members of the Mercy team, along with medical specialists from the Indian, Singaporean and Canadian militaries.
A small team of sailors from the Naval Construction Force (Seabees) also is traveling with the ship to carry out repairs and minor construction projects in Indonesia.
The Indonesian military, non-governmental organizations and local medical care professionals will work alongside the Mercy’s crew while the ship is in the country.
"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," Captain Bradley D. Martin, Mercy’s mission commander, said in the Pacific Fleet's press release.
After their mission in Indonesia, the Mercy is scheduled to travel to East Timor.
See also "U.S. Military Humanitarian Efforts Planned for 99 Nations."
For additional information on U.S. policies, see Humanitarian Assistance and Refugees.
The full text of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta’s press release is available on the embassy’s Web site.
More information on the Mercy's current mission is available at the U.S. Pacific Fleet's Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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