Medical checkups for PNGDF personnel

Acting Papua New Guinea Defence Force chief Commodore Philip Polewara undergoing a medical checkup. He launched the medical exercise last Wednesday at Murray Barracks Regimental Aid Post. –Picture supplied

PAPUA New Guinea Defence (PNGDF) launched a medical checkup for its soldiers at Murray Barracks last Wednesday.
Acting chief of Defence C/dore Phillip Polewara said they had to be deployed and they needed to be physically and medically fit for operations.
He said if the soldiers were well and healthy, they would serve the country well.
PNGDF director of health Lt Col Peter Kaminiel said this exercise was also important as the medical checks would find out the main cause of sickness that were common in the force and would prepare programmes to try and avoid it.
“During the past months and couple of years, PNGDF has been facing a lot of deaths due to command life style diseases.
“This has also caused the Defence Force a lot of money, especially during repatriation and medical expenses,” he said.
The medical checkups consisted of urinary, ear, eye sight, weight, body index, heart rate, blood test and others.
The tests were conducted to all the PNGDF headquarter staff and would continue to Basilisk naval base on Friday to all the navy ship sailors that were at the base.
Next week the medical team would conduct this exercise to all Port Moresby base units.
After completing the Port Moresby base units, the medical team would move out to all the PNGDF outer units to conduct medical checkups on soldiers.