Australia Sails Into History with PNG

Townsville based YWAM Medical Ships Australia (MSA) announced this week that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Department of Health in Port Moresby on Thursday, 20 October 2011, committing to a collaborative approach to provide health services in some of the nation’s most remote areas.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agrees to a long term commitment for YWAM MSA to assist PNG in the implementation of the PNG National Health Plan 2011-20, and supports PNG and AusAID in the achievement of PNG’s Millennium Development Goals.
YWAM builds on a strong volunteer network in Australia and emphasises a grassroots approach to health service delivery and community development, engaging PNG people in their home villages and empowering them to address their own needs through training, equipping, and delivering life-saving health services.
Over 350 volunteers have been involved in the delivery of medical services and community development projects in the Gulf and Western Provinces of PNG since August 2010.
This is the Medical Ship’s second year of operation in PNG and the team of specialists, doctors, dentists, nurses and health workers has had outstanding success. YWAM MSA has delivered a total of 54,732 health and community service outcomes including: 64 community development projects, 120 cataract surgeries, 3,778 immunisations, 4,114  optometry services, 6,365 dentistry services, 7,896 primary health care services, health education seminars to 12,056 residence, and distributed 20,339 preventative health resources such as mosquito nets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and birthing kits.
Ken Mulligan, CEO YWAM MSA said, “It was quite a historic moment when we sat with the PNG Secretary for Health and became officially recognised as a health care provider in PNG. We are so grateful to our national partners Lions Recycle for Sight, Rotarians Against Malaria, and 1300SMILES; we certainly couldn’t have done this without them.”
This week in Canberra, YWAM’s Patron, Honorable Mike Reynolds AM, CEO Ken Mulligan, and YWAM MSA’s Medical Coordinator Hannah Peart will be meeting with senior politicians and public servants to discuss further opportunities to collaborate on the Medical Ship’s work in PNG.
The Medical Ship’s Patron Mike Reynolds said that there were critical and immediate needs in the Western Province where a collaborative approach by the Queensland, Australian and PNG Governments was absolutely essential.
“We believe that the YWAM Medical Ship can play a pivotal role in urgent medical work in the Western Province and importantly assist in the control of diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV Aids.”