US army medical team gives support to PMGH

A MEDICAL team from the United States military has provided medical support and trained medical doctors at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) since Dec 11.
The 8th Forward Resuscitative and Surgical Detachment (FRSD) team, comprising 10 members, were split into groups and placed in the anesthetic operation theater, emergency department and the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.
The team had also donated consumables to be used in to the hospitals and had pledged to donate US$25,000 (about K94,479) to increase the capacity of care at the hospital.
This collaborative effort was aimed to enhance health care services with a specific emphasis on mutual learning in the areas of poly-trauma evaluation and treatment.
The hospital’s chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said during the joint press conference between the US Embassy and the hospital that such engagement was the first of its kind for the hospital.
Molumi said the US team had learnt a lot from the team at the hospital on how to deal with certain disease such as malaria, tuberculosis, snake bites, trauma cases and etc.
“Some of the disease burdens that we have, they only read in textbooks but coming here to actually see a case of snake bite, tuberculosis and how they are managed was a very good experience for them,” Molumi said.
“Also, how we provide the quality of care in a very less resourced environment and being innovative in what we have to save lives. On behalf of the board and management plus the 2000 stuff of PMGH, he thanked the eighth FRSD team Commander of the eighth LRDS Lt Col Andrew Galdi said the goal was to establish a trauma surgical rotation and most importantly establish a partnership.
He said he hoped his team had and would learn a lot from the team at PMGH and same for the PMGH team.
He said that one of the most common trauma cases the team had seen was blood trauma.
“It could be car accidents, domestic violence, penetrating trauma, and even bush knives attacks,” he said.
He said the team was based in Hawaii, a tropical environment also but had never seen a snake bite, malaria or TB case.
“Particularly the trauma is beneficial to our team,” he said.
He thanked the team at PMGH.
“This partnership will not just help the patients of PNG but will allow us as a surgical attachment within the US army to provide care to coalition partners ,” he said.