During its first visit to the Solomon Islands, the staff of the hospital ship Mercy of the United States Navy provided medical care to thousands of residents. The crew also worked with local health workers to build people’s capacity to respond to natural disasters.
“Today we are making history by holding hands in the spirit of partnership and friendship to welcome and celebrate the first visit of the hospital ship Mercy of the American Navy in the Solomon Islands”, welcomed the Prime Minister of the archipelago, Manasseh Sogavare, during a public welcoming ceremony in Honiara on August 30.
The two-week visit of Mercy in the Solomon Islands was part of the “Pacific Partnership 2022” mission. This annual exercise*, which was the 17e edition, is the largest multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness mission in the Indo-Pacific space, notes the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command.
A floating hospital
The Mercy almost an exception in the US Navy. 275 meters long, this behemoth of the seas is equipped with around a thousand hospital beds and 12 operating rooms. It has 1,200 health care professionals when fully staffed.
During its visit to the Solomon Islands, the crew carried out nearly 6,000 medical consultations (including 4,500 dental procedures), carried out around 50 surgeries and distributed 1,000 pairs of glasses.
disaster preparedness
In addition, the medical staff of the Mercy provided training to local health personnel, including a workshop on humanitarian aid and disaster relief, in partnership with the Solomon Islands government.
Another highlight of the visit were four engineering projects, one of which was to install volcano monitoring equipment on Savo Island. Residents will now receive early warnings of potential volcanic activity.
Furthermore, the crew of the Mercy participated in 16 concerts as well as community school events.
Such activities are in line with efforts to build relationships and expand humanitarian capacity, said Captain Hank Kim, Pacific Partnership 2022 mission commander.
“By learning from each other and growing professionally, we improve our collective ability to respond to any disasters that may arise,” he added. As the motto of the Pacific Partnership goes, “We prepare in calm weather to respond in times of crisis.‟ (we are preparing in calm to respond in crisis) ».
The Pacific Partnership mission also visited Vietnam, Palau and the Philippines, and conducted engineering missions in Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
*in English
