Medical Santo would like to update you on our current situation, response and prayer needs with regards to the possible effects of COVID-19 in Vanuatu.
Please pray for our staff at the clinic and for all the people affected by this world wide pandemic.
Medical Santo has been attending the Emergency Operations Centre Meetings at the Northern Provincial Hospital as plans are made to cope during the potential outbreak. Please pray that the virus will not spread through this country as the health system will be under extreme strain.
Should the coronavirus reach our country and in particular Luganville, all cases are to be handled by the Northern Provincial Hospital. As a primary care/GP clinic, Medical Santo does not have the resources to deal with severe COVID-19 cases - pneumonia that requires ventilation or a two or more week hospital stay.
Many of the elderly people living in Vanuatu have grown up around cooking fires and have compromised lung capacity from the inhalation of smoke. Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension and many other conditions put the population at risk.
We have advised expatriates who live in Santo to carefully consider and follow their own countries advice. Vanuatu has very limited intensive health care services and we do not want to put extra strain on their limited resources.
Our Australian Volunteer for International Development doctor and paramedic have been recalled to Australia by the Australian government. Please pray for them as they go through this upheaval of leaving tasks unfinished and now have to settle back into Australia.
Our clinic is running on reduced staff and we will be restricting our patient load from Monday.
We would very much appreciate your prayers for the safety of our staff and families and for the people in Vanuatu.
