Quake partnership deserves praise

IT is an amazing experience when you know you have done something, no matter how big the task is, for someone who is in need.
The delivery of services, especially in the medical field, between the local government officials, donor agencies, non-governmental organisations, church group, et cetra, is phenomenal.
The effort to put all resources together with the one goal of delivery can be best described as partnership in the true sense.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has announced that Australian doctors will come in to help medical teams in earthquake-affected areas, as fear or water-borne diseases rise.
The target now is to reach out to many more of the remote communities and supply medicines and food.
While that arrangement is yet to come into effect, there are already partners in the ground in the affected areas bringing in supplies, coordinating and reaching out to the people.
Already 120 tonnes of food, water and medicine have been distributed into the earthquake-affected areas.
There are two partners who always without fail supply media with news – Oil Search Limited and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).
Since initiating relief efforts, Oil Search has reached 63 villages with 77.4 tonnes of aid distributed.
More than 70,000 people in earthquake-affected areas in Hela, Southern Highlands, parts of Gulf and Western provinces have to date received earthquake relief supplies from Oil Search.
It is comforting to hear that its emergency response teams have been visiting different villages, providing relief assistance, medical treatment, conducting village assessments and evacuating the critically ill.
The MAF is also contributing towards the relief efforts with information gathering and what they have is shared with all stakeholders, including the Government and the Australian and New Zealand air forces.
With its network and partners on the ground, they are travelling to the affected villages and obtaining information of population numbers as well what is needed there.
The Australian and New Zealand air forces are also a tremendous support to the teams on the ground in terms of logistics, including ExxonMobil.
The concerted partnership between the partners and donor agencies must be commended and encouraged as this could go on for months.
It will take a year or so for food gardens to start producing hence the need for distribution of food rations must continue.
In the disaster-stricken areas, it would now be a period of transition from restoration to reconstruction.
The emergency work to repair and rebuild destroyed roads and other elements of infrastructure is a priority. From the reports that have been supplied, Oil Search and MAF should be commended for the tireless efforts their officers on the ground have been doing.
They should be housing the disaster control centre and coordinating all the relief activities so all those affected received the required support they need.
It is time to enhance the partnership between all concerned so at the end of the day, the relief support is received.
The affected people have all lost hope after losing their livelihood and to have volunteers reach out to them gives everyone comfort.
They say, no man is an island, and that is why the partnership should be nurtured to keep the flow of earthquake relief supplies going.