DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
MSPA 350/09
Monday, 19 October 2009
ENGINEERS AND MEDICAL OUTREACH TEAMS COMMENCE WORK
With the arrival of HMAS Kanimbla and Army engineers in the Padang area over the
weekend, the Australian Defence Force contribution to the earthquake affected city has
transitioned to reconstruction and recovery work.
The engineers from the Darwin based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment promptly moved to
Seigeringging and set to work building an interim health care facility for the local population.
The facility will provide ongoing health care until the towns health centre, which was
destroyed in the earthquake on September 30, can be rebuilt.
The building will have an open floor plan and moveable partition internal walls to enable the
community to customise its layout to meet specific needs, the Australian Joint Task Force
Engineer Adviser Major Maddock said.
The need for the interim health care facility was identified by AusAID, who have continued
coordinating the building project with local authorities.
Lieutenant Colonel Lachlan Sinclair, Commanding Officer of the 1st Health Support Battalion
(1HSB) and the primary health care team working in the village, says the new facility will be
staffed by the towns displaced medical workers and will remain for the community to use
once their regular facility is rebuilt.
Our operation will eventually wind down and the 1HSB element will return to Australia
having completed another successful deployment.
In the mean time, the primary health care teams are travelling into the outlying villages to
conduct health clinics for those who cannot access Seigeringging.
Most of these people dont have the time or the money to travel to seek medical aid. Many
are too busy trying to rebuild their homes and their health has been a second priority to them,
Lieutenant Colonel Sinclair said.
Media Note:
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