Surgeon Praises Work Of Medical Team In Vietnam

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32012, 12 June 1969, Page 1

Surgeon Praises Work Of Medical Team In Vietnam

“New Zealand’s best contribution in the world,” is the description of the New Zealand Services’ medical team at Bong Son, South Vietnam, given by Colonel J. W. Ardagh, a Christchurch surgeon.

Colonel Ardagh returned yesterday after working at the team’s hospital for three months, during which 656 operations were done by the team.

“If the people of New Zealand could see the work they would be proud and glad to pay the small part of their taxes that goes to the defence vote and the small part of that vote that goes towards the team,” he said. His greatest praise was for the 15 young non-commis-sioned officers from the three services who staff the hospital, working seven days a week and long hours. “They work twice as hard, and twice as long, as anyone in New Zealand,” he said, “and they are New Zealand’s greatest ambassadors.

Living with the peasants and working with them, the team treated a population about the size of Christchurch, Colonel Ardagh said, and the New Zealanders had built a lasting monument in South Vietnam. The medical orderlies taught by example and had endeared themselves to the Vietnamese, particularly the children. The effect would be lasting. As an example, Colonel Ardagh said it was hard to convince the Vietnamese that they should not spit on the ward floors. After all, they had been spitting on floors for 3000 years. Now it was accepted that this was not done, and if an older patient forgot and spat he was promptly corrected by others, and the children knew and would remember that they did not spit. MUTUAL HELP Similarly, they had learned to help one another. In Vietnam the family unit had always been supreme, and outside the family there was no consideration for others. Now a child would go to help another child, or see that he was helped, because he had profited by- example. Even the Viet Cong patients treated at the hospital had come to appreciate helping others, although they had found it hard to understand. Why someone who had everything, in their eyes, should be working for those

I who had nothing was a problem that puzzled them, but | they had profited by example. The message the New Zealanders tried to put over was that they were working for Vietnam and the Vietnamese should also do so, he said. It was made clear to them that the South Vietnam Government ran the hospital, and it had a young Vietnamese doctor who was really the head. Money for the hospital was supplied by American aid, but it was channelled through the Vietnamese Government, Colonel Ardagh said. He had no doubt that there was graft and corruption in some places, but there was not the slightest doubt that all the money for the hospital, which was now well equipped and supplied, went to the hospital. U.S. ASSISTANCE

He could not speak too highly of the assistance given by the Americans, Colonel Ardagh said. It was a comfort to know that if anything was needed—blood plasma or sup-plies—-it only needed a signal to an American medical officer to see the need met. Medical work formed the greatest part of the hospital’s duties, but 40 per cent of the surgical cases treated were war casualties, and some of them were shocking. “It sickens the heart to see some of the injuries inflicted on civilians, particularly the children, who are lovable,” he said. This led Colonel Ardagh to “politics”, which he said he did not want to discuss. However, he had not met one Vietnamese who did not hate the Viet Cong, he said, and by V.C. he included the North Vietnamese.

The Viet Cong used to infiltrate and try to indoctrinate the villages, but they had found that this was not successful and today they would shoot up a village or hamlet, inflicting indiscriminate injuries.

The medical unit treats Viet Cong, sometimes knowingly, at other times not, Colonel Ardagh said. A patient might come in and be treated. He would be gone in the morning, and it would be explained that his Viet Cong friends had taken him away.

Prisoners brought in by the South Vietnamese Army were treated just like any other patient, he said, but they were padlocked or handcuffed to the beds. NOT ATTACKED

Probably because the Viet Cong knew that their wounded were treated at the hospital, it had some immunity, Colonel Ardagh said. It had not been attacked, although there had been some mortar bombs dropped close by. The doctors—a surgeon, a physician and an anaesthetist —are in the team, and the medical orderlies went armed as soldiers, but this was mainly in case of ambush when travelling to villages or hamlets, he said.

i As well as running the hos- : pital, the team was acting as a public health authority, inoculating against bubonic plague, cholera and typhoid, which was rampant. When Colonel Ardagh arrived at Bong Son there were 30 or 40 cases of plague a day. A vast force was organised to give inoculations, hamlets were dusted with D.D.T., and the plague subsided. Now the unit was getting ready to immunise against cholera, the season for which was August or September. Whatever happened in the war, the New Zealanders were doing a magnificent job in showing the people by example that there could be a better way of life, he said. The children were learning English rapidly: they were even learning to play Rugby football, although the rules would take some understanding. “If you could see the work being done by the young n.c.o.s it would restore your faith in New Zealand youth," he said.

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