Thursday, Jan 20, 2005
Navy's relief effort in Indonesia concludes
By P. S. Suryanarayana
SINGAPORE, JAN. 19. The Indian Navy's "Operation Gambhir," a mission that extended relief to tsunami-hit Indonesia, has ended, said sources monitoring the effort.
The "incident-free" mission that began on January 5 when two ships reached Meulaboh, the worst-hit town in the Aceh province, concluded after the tsunami-related "medical emergency" there was declared over. In all, about 300 officers and sailors, including medical professionals, participated in the operation.
Vessels of the navies of Singapore and India were the earliest to provide relief at Meulaboh, a politically sensitive town.
A total of 1,710 patients were treated at the medical camp/field hospital that was set up by the Indian Navy personnel near a mosque in the town centre. Nine of them who required surgery were operated upon in the operation theatre aboard INS Nirupak, a survey ship that was converted into a floating hospital with diagnostic as well as intensive care units. Patients requiring specialised attention aboard the vessel were ferried by an Indian Navy helicopter.
Difficult conditions
The other vessel, INS Khukri, a missile corvette laden with relief supplies worth $ 1 million, left on January 12 after unloading them.
A wide variety of boats were deployed in difficult weather conditions and across turbulent waters to ferry the relief material and equipment needed for a field hospital.
INS Nirupak set sail on January 17 after the medical team had set up a fully operational blood transfusion facility at the damaged local hospital and the more immediate cases had been dealt with.
The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, appreciated New Delhi's gesture that had also earned the Navy goodwill among local residents.
Copyright © 2005, The Hindu.