Remote Medical Clinic -

How it works -

The three doctors and Cassidy hire a 4x4 and drive around the countryside looking for very remote villages.

Here they are stopped, and Dr. Kim is giving an adjustment, while the other Doctors treat some wounds.

Courage

A group picture in the remote area of the White Sands region on the island of Tanna during one of our truck clinics. One of the nice patients gifted me that nice woven fan.

 The clinic was in a broken schoolhouse where the winds blew in the ocean facing wall and roof. They lost most supplies, the books were still there, but had been all wet and were hard to read.

Shannon

Port Vila -

It is official, Cassidy has left for America, the motorcycle is in full use, and I found an ice cream factory!  So now in the afternoon we motorcycle down to the ice cream factory, and pick up our ice cream right there!

We are finding that we like civilization for the first day or two, then the need for a quiet anchorage with a sandy beach comes right back, and we scheme and plan for an escape!

Courage

Cyclone Pam Aftermath -

South River Village

Photo of Lil'  Explorers delivering food aid on Erromango Island

Lil' Explorers Ends ER-1

A 43 year old lady was treated twice at the medical clinic run by the doctors of ER-1 in Ponkill on Erromango Island. She was unable to digest food, and was basically starving slowly. Lil' Explorers ended up transferring her on board to Dillon's Bay in Eromango for a medical flight to the hospital in Port Vila. Unfortunately flights were unable to be scheduled. Hence Lil' Explorers ended up sailing her to Port Vila, taking her to the hospital, and briefing the on-duty ER Doctor on her status/condition. Fortunately the problem has been found and will be corrected shortly!

Salsa and probably Chez Nous should be arriving tomorrow, and an initial meeting of ER-1 with ER-2 is scheduled for 1730 on May 13th. 

What a truly wonderful experience, and thank you to everyone!

Courage

South River - Erromango Island Report

We arrived around 10:00am on May 8th 2015, AKA Shannon's birthday.

An initial brief meeting with the chief as he met us off shore. The chief said we were welcome to visit his village, and when asked about need for medical help he indicated that they did require medical assistance. He then took his boat back up the river to the village and let the people know that we were coming, and that he had welcomed us.

After anchoring Cassidy and I took our dingy up the river to the village. We were welcomed by Lency who spoke great English. He introduced himself as the CDC (Community Disaster Coordinator). He took us on a brief tour of the village. There were numerous areas that were easily identified as having been house sites before the cyclone, but now were just rectangular areas of bare dirt.

Many temporary homes had been rebuilt with wreckage from the cyclone to provide immediate shelter from the elements. As usual the villagers were very happy and welcoming. We were shown an area where we could conduct a clinic inside one of the two brick cyclone houses.

We asked about when their last food aid had been delivered and they stated it had been over a month ago and that it was all gone. They also stated that their next food aid was over a week late and they had no word on if/when it may occur. It was possibly delayed due to logistics with rain all week, but there is no communications and it is unknown.  These are a people who typically receive no aid of any kind and live completely self sufficiently.

There were about 130 people in the immediate village. And they sent "runners" to remote areas to alert the different families that there was medical aid being offered.

Based on our observations, discussions, and general feeling of the village we determined that giving them food aid would be appropriate and helpful. We delivered approximately 1000lbs of Sea Mercy rice, 400lbs of Sea Mercy split peas, peanut butter, meat, crackers fishing supplies, machete's, hammers, nails, and a large bag of lightly used clothing. Additionally we gave gasoline and bar oil for their chain saw. And gasoline for their boat that we used to transport the food to the shore.

Everyone helped carry the food from the river bank to the protection of a nearby home. The old ladies would carry 25 lbs bags of rice on their heads, and additionally a large bag of split peas under their arm. The men would carry two or three bags, and even the children would wrestle with the rice bags until an adult would come and relieve them.

Overall the people were clean, had clean clothes, and appeared to be in good health.

The medical report will follow, but in brief there were 40 patients seen with most being seen by Dr Shannon for their wounds and illnesses first, and then being referred to Dr Kim for sore backs, knees, and other joints. With all the manual labor required for the recovery efforts, many of both the men and women are in need of both medical and chiropractic help.  We ran the clinic by flashlight late into the night, and somehow managed to navigate the dingy out through the rock and log strewn river, through the surfline, and to the boat without killing the dingy or the outboard.

We are truly having a wonderful adventure.

Courage