'USNS Mercy' continues helping tsunami victims<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
The eyes of Moh. Iqbal, 12, sparkled as he spoke to his uncle
\nZulkifli sitting next to him in one of the intensive care units
\n(ICU) aboard the USNS Mercy.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Navy hospital ship has been specially deployed in
\nAceh for the past three weeks to help treat tsunami victims.<\/p>\n
\"We have been here for 12 days, and he is much better now. We
\nare very thankful for that. I thought there was nothing that
\ncould save Iqbal as other hospitals in Banda Aceh and Medan had
\ngiven up,\" said Zulkifli.<\/p>\n
Iqbal was swept away by the tidal wave along with other family
\nmembers. He swallowed a lot of mud and dirty water, but he
\nmanaged to survive.<\/p>\n
For Iqbal, Zulkifli is the only relative he has left, with his
\nfather, mother, and brothers all perishing in the tragedy.<\/p>\n
The hospital ship has been anchored several kilometers off the
\nwestern Aceh coast since Feb. 1.<\/p>\n
One of the Mercy's press officers, Lt. Bashon Mann, said that
\naround 68 patients with various ailments, including broken bones,
\nlung problems, and burns, had been treated aboard the hospital
\nship since Feb.5 while thousands of others have been treated on
\nland by the ship's medical crew in several areas of Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"We are currently treating 37 patients aboard the ship after
\nwe sent home other patients. Not all of them are tsunami victims
\nbecause we have also received (general) patients from Aceh and
\nNorth Sumatra during this emergency phase. You see, people in
\nAceh can't go to the hospitals in their areas because all them
\nwere swept away by the tsunami,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bashon, however, explained that not everyone could be treated
\naboard the ship as they need to be recommended by a doctor in
\nAceh or North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Commanding Officer of the USNS Mercy Captain David M.
\nLlewellyn said that their medical officers often didn't
\nunderstand what the patients wanted, and they needed the services
\nof several interpreters. \"However, when we touch them they can
\nfeel our hearts, and know our sincerity in helping them,\" said
\nLlewellyn.<\/p>\n
A volunteer doctor from the Hope project, an international
\nnon-governmental organization committed to helping people after
\ndisasters, David M. Systrom, said that the presence of the ship
\nin Aceh waters had been helpful.<\/p>\n
Much equipment and expertise aboard the ship cannot be found
\nin other hospitals on the ground, including a CAT scanner, which
\nwas very helpful in treating cases of head trauma and lung
\ninjuries, said Systrom.<\/p>\n
Converted from a supertanker in 1986, Mercy is one of the
\nlargest floating hospitals in the world. Its primary mission is
\nto provide a surgical medical facility for the U.S military that
\nis flexible, capable and uniquely adaptable to support
\nexpeditionary warfare. Mercy's secondary mission is to provide
\nfull hospital services to support U.S. disaster relief and
\nhumanitarian operations worldwide.<\/p>\n
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
\nWinkenwerder said that the ship would stay at least another
\nmonth.<\/p>",
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