It's been a three-and-a-half year wait, but Tauranga's medical mission ship – the MV YWAM KOHA – is now on her maiden deployment in Fiji.

The ship left in July, arriving in Suva where the crew were joined by doctors, nurses, dentists and paramedical people who had flown in, increasing crew numbers to around 30 people.

On arrival, the ship played host to some gatherings, before beginning work in the north of the district around August 6.

Outreach cycles

YWAM Ships Aotearoa Ltd managing director Marty Emmett says there are four medical/dental 'outreach cycles” planned with the first one being medical, and the other three focusing on providing a dental service, with local Fijian dentists as well as NZ dentists joining the ship's mission.

'Three of the outreach cycles will be 12-14 days and one of them will be shorter,” says Marty.

'The week of August 15, in Suva, we completed our first medical outreach. Fijian dentists worked on the ship using the containerised dental units on board. The medical team worked onshore, partnering with local medical professionals.”

In that first week, 390 primary health patients were seen, 60 dental patients were treated, 67 teeth extracted, 121 toothbrushes and toothpaste given out, with six volunteer Fijian dentists involved.

Although dental services are the key focus, a small medical team on board is working in partnership with local Fijian health workers to assess the primary health needs in each village and collate an accurate picture of what can be done. This will then inform what medical programmes and services YWAM will deliver in future.

The second medical outreach, which ran from August 29-September 12, focused on Visago, the area immediately north of Labasa, working in partnership with local health workers.

Extra special

'This one has been extra special for us. It's our first time serving isolated communities in the Pacific. We've served nearly a dozen villages, both coastal and on small islands in the Namuka district of northern Fiji.”

In the second outreach, 188 people were seen by the medical team, there were 207 dental patients, 115 restorations, 411 tooth extractions, 553 people given a toothbrush and toothpaste, and 394 people received oral health education.

'The team is excited to present 42 boxes of medical supplies donated from businesses in Tauranga,” says Marty.

'This donation will provide the Visago Nurses Station with much-needed supplies to enable them to serve their people for the coming months. IRFA and Main Street Pharmacy were instrumental in securing these medical supplies.”

Neglected health checks

Marty says during the last two years of the Covid pandemic, many health checks like blood pressure checks, have been neglected.

After the first three outreaches have been carried out just north of Nabasa, the fourth outreach will be working with Fiji's Ministry of Health, with the goal to build trust between the ship's medical team and local Fiji health services.

The last cycle ends in October, and the ship will return to New Zealand – and is due arrive back in Tauranga early-November.

'The crew will come back, debrief, learn so we can plan for the future.”

The return voyage is also timed to escape the cyclone season. And Marty acknowledges that 'out of sight, out of mind” isn't helpful for keeping the ship's mission to the forefront of the minds of Tauranga locals.

Help from NZ

Anyone who would like to be a part of helping fuel the YWAM KOHA to deliver necessary dental and primary health services to the outer islands of Fiji is invited to donate on the ship's Givealittle page at: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ywam-koha-deployment-2022