Pakistan
Operation PAKISTAN ASSIST II is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the Whole-of-Government mission to provide humanitarian aid in response to the devastating July 2010 Pakistan floods.
Australian forces assigned to Operation PAKISTAN ASSIST II contribute to the AusAID and ADF co-led Australian Medical Task Force which consists of both civilian and military medical and environmental health professionals.
The Medical Task Force is based in central Pakistan near Kot Addu, in the vicinity of Multan, in the Muzaffar Garh District of the Punjab province.
The 180 strong Task Force is jointly commanded by Wing Commander Ross Wadsworth and Mr Thanh Le from AusAID.
The Task Force is comprised of:
- A health facility staffed by 36 Defence and around 20 civilian health specialists.
- Engineer, logistic and command elements to support and sustain the Task Force.
- Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17A Globemasters have being used to transport the AusAID stores and AMTF personnel to Pakistan.
The health facility will provide primary health care similar to a general practice that includes maternal and children’s health; a ward for day treatment; basic diagnostic services including x-ray and pathology; a pharmacy; and a preventative health program.
The Australian government has previously provided medical assistance to Pakistan in response to the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake as part of Operation PAKISTAN ASSIST.