Manly and Mona Vale hospitals’ unwanted equipment to help patients in third world countries
A NORTHERN beaches doctor who saw the terrible state of a hospital in Papua New Guinea while on holiday is behind a project to help stock it with unwanted equipment from Manly and Mona Vale hospitals.
A DOCTOR who visited a hospital in Papua New Guinea while on holiday and saw how badly it needed basic items such as beds is behind a project to help stock it with unwanted equipment from Manly hospital.
When Dr Brenton Coates, of Freshwater, returned from his surf trip he suggested the idea to Northern Sydney Local Health District.
With the help of Australian Doctors International, Kavieng Hospital on New Ireland will benefit from unwanted equipment from the closed hospital and some equipment is already on its way.
“The hospital I visited was incredibly under resourced,” Dr Coates said.
“Some wards had 16 patients to a room. The place is in need of some help.”
The anaesthetist, who had previously worked at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals and is now at
Northern Beaches Hospital, said some of the most-needed items were beds and wheelchairs, as some patients were having to go without.
Dr Peter Macdonald, president and founder of ADI, which sends doctors to the region to help train local medical staff, said it had become “acutely aware of the shortages at the hospital”.
Other organisations are also sending equipment to other places in need.
Laura Taitz, of the charity MedEarth, said it would be sending medical supplies and equipment from Manly and Mona Vale hospitals to health facilities in Sri Lanka, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Malawi, East Timor, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
She said in some hospitals the situation was so dire women were giving birth on the floor.
“Some hospitals don’t even have running water or antibacterial soap,” she said.
Northern Sydney Local Health District’s Patricia Norton said hundreds of items of equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars were being donated. “Some equipment, such as imaging and diagnostic tools, will go to hospitals across northern Sydney, including Ryde, Hornsby,
Royal North Shore and Mona Vale hospitals,” Ms Norton said.
“A large amount of equipment will also be shared among international aid and humanitarian organisations including MedEarth, Australian Doctors International and Overseas Disaster Resources.
“The collection includes more than 120 beds, theatre tables, wheelchairs, walking aids, bedside cabinets and supplies,” she said.
Whitegoods, including fridges, will go to Sydney charity Generous & Grateful, which supports women who have been the victims of domestic violence.
“It’s really pleasing to see that the equipment will be re-purposed and will continue to support healthcare services locally and in Third World countries,” Ms Norton said.
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