Sydney
17 August 2003
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Dr Pell
reinforces Vatican call
Nauru withdraws Jesuit activist’s visa
Students breathe easily
‘Involuntary euthanasia’ fear
Bigger role for lay leaders
Concern at axing of show
L’Arche - a sign of hope to the world
Community crisis for Merrylands
Caritas Australia backs island leaders’ talks with our PM
Catholic Mission helps with new hospital
Editorial: End of abortion
Letters: On the rite
Conversation: Sr Helen Prejean, author, death-row spiritual adviser and death penalty opponent - There but for the grace of God ...
People dancing ‘on the margins’
Church growth in Africa ‘phenomenal’
‘Clash of civilisations’ not inevitable
Five in search for the ‘real’ Fiji
Poverty: Ireland is winning the war
Obituary: Mass for former Franciscan missionary
Obituary: Mercy sister brought laughter and hope
Obituary: Papal knight who just liked to help
Muslims and Jews ‘feel under threat’
Floral feast for St Mary's
Catholic Mission helps with new hospital
Catholic Mission is supporting the establishment of a much-needed hospital in the north of the Solomon Islands by Australian doctor Chris Millar.
Three shipping containers of donated medical supplies and equipment and other materials were sent to Taro to help supply a hospital being built at Choiseul.
Here a nurse working at the hospital reports on life on Taro for the medical team, how the hospital is growing and how their efforts are being received by the local population:
“The hospital is in worse shape than expected, though it is improving. We now have a new storage area for the pharmaceuticals, and another storage place for the medical equipment that we can’t use until the x-ray unit is built.
“The hospital extension plans have been slower than expected ... after months waiting for the architect in Honiara to have time, the plans arrived on the plane. They were too small.
“There is a local draftsman who is drawing up the plans - and the fee is only a falling-apart boat.
“The fantastic thing about the hospital extensions is that this is what Choiseul or Lauru people want.
“There is a local committee which is hassling the draftsman to get the plans done quickly. Chris spent eight hours with him the other night.
“There is a Lauru People’s Association in Honiara and Gizo. People who are working and have incomes there are raising money to help fund the hospital.
“Things will happen more quickly with outside help but the Lauru people will make it happen regardless of any assistance.
“The best kind of development is with people helping themselves. The logging companies will also help out when they have the plans.
The good things are:
• The people are friendly - they often bring us food they’ve made;
• They laugh a lot and it’s OK as long as they don’t think anyone has been drinking;
• Hopefully the ‘intervention’ (by Australian and other countries’ armed forces and police) will mean an easy way to get things to Taro;
• Some patients we thought would die have lived; and
• The majority of the hospital staff are great and want to make things better.
People still get constipated in the Solomon’s because they don’t drink enough water - but they do when told what an enema is.
Chris now has a timetable, with a copy on the ward and in the clinic, explaining what he does with his time, when he will see patients and do admin and that if he’s up during the night, clinic is cancelled.
The radio referral system is a problem with people expecting a rubber stamp from either of us based on no observation and minimal history on a radio consult.
One hospital is now doing email referrals, which bypasses the unhelpful radio middle person.
The Church community is very supportive and helpful. They genuinely care about Chris. Joseph the catechist is Chris’s cultural adviser and one very wise man. He patiently talked us through how to handle rumours without getting flustered with our frustrations.
Worship “lotu” in the morning has begun. It’s ecumenical (rare in the Solomon’s) and is a great chance to see how the patients are feeling.
There’s the ‘singometer’ test - the louder the singing the closer they are to discharge. The spirit of the hospital has changed since doing that.