Khmerization

The hospital ship Mercy, sporting several large red crosses, gets close to the pier at Naval Base San Diego. — John Gastaldo

Written by Nathan Max Sept. 14, 2012

Treating the sick in places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines isn’t quite the same as in the United States.

Over there, a skin rash could turn out to be leprosy, and a stomachache could be a rare abdominal mass.

And then there’s the case of a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver who boarded the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which returned to San Diego on Friday morning from a 4½-month humanitarian mission to the South Pacific.

The man suffered a broken leg four years ago, was still on crutches and could no longer provide for his family.

“We fixed the leg,” said Cmdr. Matthew Provencher, a Coronado resident and the ship’s director of surgical services. “We put in an implant that will stay in his leg for the rest of his life. He was able to walk off the ship four days later and is probably back to work.”

That was one of 983 surgeries performed on the ship during the multinational exercise known as the Pacific Partnership, the largest annual humanitarian civic assistance mission in the Asia-Pacific region.

The $20 million medical mission has its roots in the late 2004 tsunami that wreaked havoc throughout South Asia. In January 2005, the Mercy was sent to provide aid.

This year, a crew of more than 1,200 — including 400 Navy medical personnel — treated or evaluated 49,000 people. Veterinarians treated 7,000 animals, and civil engineers built or refurbished 13 school and health-clinic buildings.

Sailors and civilian volunteers also participated in more than 100 community service projects, delivered 140,000 pounds of supplies and conducted more than 75 band concerts and clinics.

“It was a fantastic mission,” said Capt. Jim Morgan, the mission’s commander. “We accomplished everything and more than we set out to do. We were received unbelievably wherever we went. People welcomed us, they were glad to see us and absolutely ready to support the mission any way they could.”

In all, the Mercy traveled more than 20,000 nautical miles. The mission included 13 partner nations, 28 nongovernmental organizations and four U.S. agencies.

“It was rewarding, just seeing all the good work all the Navy and civilian volunteers got to do, working with the host nations and the partner nations hand in hand,” said Ship’s Master Capt. Jonathan Olmstead.

From a medical perspective, aside from all the surgeries, first-world doctors worked with third-world doctors to teach medical procedures and techniques. The education, however, went both ways, Provencher said.

American doctors learned how to do more with less.

“It reminded me why I went into medicine in the first place, and why I really enjoy helping humanity,” Provencher said of the trip. “And that’s what this mission is all about.”