SA, USA Defence Force collaborate in medical relief efforts for Richards Bay community

Nearly 600 Defence Force members from South Africa and the United States have come together to bring medical services to a community on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.

The area has become inaccessible to civilian healthcare workers due to the high crime rate.

Medical personnel and soldiers from the South African Defence Force (SANDF) and the New York Army National Guard took part in an Exercise Shared Accord in the Richards Bay area since the start of the month.

The joint training is aimed at restoring stability in conflict areas and delivering humanitarian aid to civilians.

SANDF Colonel Brian Maphosa says: “They identified several facilities which were hard to reach. And they are hard to reach because of crime in the area. They actually get hijacked when they do their own outreach. So, they chose those ones in particular to try and restore services in that area. So, our presence in that area was partly to try and make sure there are services which are restored, and obviously provide them with support and provide them with security.”

Leader of the American delegation, General Michael Natali, who is a medical doctor, says during the exercise, more than 3 000 people were seen for primary healthcare screening.

This included a dental and eye check-ups as well as veterinary care for nearly 4 000 animals.

“We learnt that every contact with someone could be life changing when it comes to medical practise. So I think that was our biggest lesson, our biggest take away, I guess, from that experience here, that we could impact lives in real-time.”