The group led by SHaRM Foundation Village Coordinator, Reynolds Boeson along with Rotary International Past District Governor, Lindsay Ford, and SHaRM Foundation Project Manager, Stuart Friend visited the area of Asanvari in the south of Maewo.
What was highlighted from their visit to this remote village was the urgent need to bring in more modern and specialised medical equipment to aid refurbishment of an ageing health clinic. The area has a growing population and the demand for more modern and specialised hospital equipment to cater for the various cases treated at the clinic and at the maternity ward was a factor in their decision to assist at this location.
Asanvari was identified not only to upgrade medical and hospital equipment but also to provide a new clinic with a higher level of facilities to treat the sick, injured or maternity patients in the south of Maewo who rely heavily on this clinic as their first call in the case of emergencies before being relocated to Pentecost in the case of higher medical requirements.
This clinic was not on the list identified by the Ministry of Health for their foreseeable upgrades but the Ministry has provided their full support to Rotary and SHaRM as part of their funding application to seek funding to build a new medical clinic and school building in this area of Asanvari (subject to funding being approved) commencing in early 2020. It is hoped this project gains the full support from the funding group to whom Rotary and SHaRM have applied.
Meanwhile - Rotary International and Rotary Bundaberg (Queensland) were offered a large selection of medical and hospital equipment which had been replaced in various Queensland hospital locations. This vast selection of medical equipment donated by the Queensland Health, Australia to Rotary International, Rotary Bundaberg and via other organisations has now taken place.
SHaRM Foundation Project Manager, Stu Friend, together with the Australian High Commission Vanuatu and the RAAF 84 WG coordinated the proposal to bring into Port Vila much needed replacement equipment on a scheduled flight in early December 2019.
This project has been fully approved and supported by the Australian DFAT; the Australian High Commission, Vanuatu; the Vanuatu Ministry of Health and aided by the RAAF 84 Wing Squadron in Queensland, Australia all ensuring the delivery of the equipment to Port Vila went without issues. This has been a huge undertaking getting the equipment readied for shipment – cleaned and prepared to be loaded into a C17 aircraft which was allocated for the flight to deliver the shipment to Vanuatu.
Acknowledgements of Assistance
C17 Aircraft team delivering the items under Capt. Mark Holland, WGCDR 84 Wing
Australian High Commission - Australia and Port Vila
Rotary Bundaberg - and Rotarians at Bundaberg
Past Rotary D9910 Governor Lindsay Ford
Rotary D9910 and Rotary International
Geoffrey & Jane Smith – Global Care Vanuatu – generating this large donation of hospital items
Lloyd Finiss
RSE Workers who assisted to clean and prepare the items for shipment from McCrystal’s Agriculture
Optical Store Bundaberg – 10,000 spectacles donated to be placed by Rotary and SHaRM in a 2020 project
Malouf Pharmacy, North Side, Bundaberg – pharmacy items which have been provided to Promedical and MOH
