N.Z. Medical Teams’ Future Uncertain

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32213, 4 February 1970, Page 34

N.Z. Medical Teams’ Future Uncertain

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) QUI NHON (South Vietnam), February 3. Uncertainty about the American withdrawal, the changing face of the war and South Vietnam’s economic ability to stand on its own feet, are casting doubts over the future of New Zealand’s two medical teams in the war zone.

Whether or not the war ends soon, New Zealand must make an early decision on the part it will play in the aid and development programme so vital to post-war South Vietnam.

The first step will have to be a firm decision on the future of the civilian and military medical teams at Qui Nhon and Nong Son in Binh Dinh province. New Zealand has so far spent SUSIm in keeping a team of 15 civilian surgeons,

doctors and nurses at the main province hospital at Qui Nhon, 250 miles north of Saigon, since 1963. The 17-man combined services medical team works at the Bong Son district hospital 60 miles away. Although both medical teams work solely with civilian patients, the American military rundown at present under way and the gradual turning of the war over to the South Vietnamese could have far-reaching consequences for them.

Local View Local health officials, struggling against overwhelming odds in disease-ridden Binh Dinh—the nation’s largest province, with a million people—want the New Zealanders to stay another three years ... six years . . . “for ever,” says one. And now that civilian war casualties are falling, the New Zealanders are getting down to some of their most valuable work, treating patients with deep-seated diseases such as malaria and T.B. and other ordinary medical complaints. But the continued success —and ultimately the continued presence—of the teams will depend on an entirely new system of practical machinery geared to the American rundown and the efficiency with which the Vietnamese can take more control of their own affairs. Main Questions It could mean that New Zealand will have to be prepared to find a great deali more than the SUS2BO,OOO it spent on the two teams last year to keep them going. The main questions for the future concern security, continued regular supplies and finance. Both teams treat all civilians on a no-questions-asked basis and have been free from Viet Cong harassment But if American forces pull out from the area—as is expected —and the war situation deteriorates, security could become a problem. The United States at present provides—formally through the Vietnamese auth-

orities—most of the drugs and other medical supplies the New Zealanders work with. If this system changes as a part of the Vietnamisation process, there could be problems in obtaining regular supplies. Small Point Already, more than 30 per cent of the thousands of dollars worth of drugs and supplies the Americans send to Qui Nhon every month, do not reach the province hospital warehouse because of corruption, theft or diversion to the Viet Cong. At present, public health gets a very small part of South Vietnam’s budget. More money will have to be found and the Vietnamese people are already resisting tough austerity taxes imposed last October. It is clear that if the New Zealanders stay someone will have to pay. Most members of the civilian team believe that they should stay. Five of the present team have demonstrated this by electing to remain for another year’s duty. Their views were summed up by the team leader, Dr J. J. Enright, of Mangere, who has been in Qui Nhon five years and says he has no thought of returning home yet.

“There is so much work to be done here even if the war ends. If we pulled out now it would go a long way to negating all the progress made since a team first came in 1963,” he said.