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SINGAPORE : Singapore has offered to supplement the relief efforts currently provided by the World Health Organisation for the tsunami victims.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan says he has proposed that the WHO set up a site office here for its operations in the region, particularly in Aceh.
Singapore will provide the support they need, be it officers, telecommunication or logistics.
WHO is still evaluating the offer.
Mr Khaw was speaking to reporters at the send-off of another medical team to Banda Aceh on Thursday morning.
The team of six doctors and six nurses will be in Banda Aceh to meet its immediate healthcare needs.
Said team leader Dr Adrian Liew, "One group is actually a surgical team that's going to augment the capability of the primary healthcare team that's already present in Aceh. The second team, which is the public health and laboratory team, will be there to help provide sanitation as well as hygiene support; as well as to try to identify the possibility of any infectious disease outbreaks that might occur in Aceh."
Senior nurse Mohamad Rizal bin Mohd Razali added, "Our main objective is to got here on a mobile, meaning we're going to remote places where these people can't get help."
Mr Khaw, who sent the team off early Thursday morning, said Singapore's efforts to help Aceh rebuild its healthcare services would be for the long haul.
He added that the situation was made worse as some of Aceh's medical workers were killed while attending a healthcare event in the affected area.
Mr Khaw said, "The crisis will soon be entering the third week, so the nature of the relief efforts will have to change day by day. I think the initial phase of rescue search, body identification will soon be over. Now is the long haul, which will take not just weeks but months and for some activities perhaps years.
"But if we can quickly go in to help them rebuild some clinics, rebuild some hospitals, that may be a meaningful contribution to Aceh."
About 100 healthcare workers from Singapore are already in tsunami-hit areas to assist in relief efforts, and another 500 volunteers, mostly nurses, are on standby.
This is the third medical team sent by Singhealth and the National Healthcare group to a tsunami-hit area; the team will be in Banda Aceh for at least two weeks.
A fourth medical team will also be heading to Sri Lanka together with the Red Cross in about two weeks. - CNA
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