01 January 2006
Medivac imagery from Operation Pakistan Assist

An Australian Defence Force medical team is working in Pakistan and Kashmir as part of a humanitarian mission to provide vital health care assistance to people affected by the 8 October 2005 South Asia earthquakes.

The team has established a medical centre at the remote town of Dhanni, about 20km north-east of Muzaffarabad, on the Pakistan side of the Kashmir Line Of Control.

The team, of about 140 personnel, includes medical personnel, a command element, an aviation detachment and logistics and communication personnel.

Four Black Hawk helicopters are deployed to provide essential transport and support tasks.

The helicopters give the ADF team the mobility to extend medical care from the central hub at Dhanni to assist a large number of people in the harsh terrain of the surrounding region who need medical attention as a result of the earthquake.

The Black Hawk detachment is primarily from the Australian Army 5th Aviation Regiment based in Townsville.

The health and support personnel comprise members of the Army's logistic support force based at Randwick Barracks, Sydney; a Royal Australian Air Force primary health care team from Richmond, New South Wales; and personnel drawn from a range of units across Australia, including Reserves.

20051226adf8195319_029 A Pakistan Army Bell 412 helicopter waits to evacuate a critically ill infant to hospital in Muzaffarabad from Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 26 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051226adf8195319_030 Captain Connie Jongeneel hands a critically ill infant to her mother for the aeromedical evacuation to hospital in Muzaffarabad from Dhanni on the Pakistan side of the Kashmir Line Of Control. (Date taken: 26 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051226adf8195319_031 Captain Connie Jongeneel waits to hand over a critically ill infant to waiting Pakistan Army aircrew for an aeromedical evacuation by helicopter. (Date taken: 26 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051226adf8195319_033 Carrying a critically ill infant, Captain Connie Jongeneel escorts the family to a waiting helicopter for an aeromedical evacuation from Dhanni, Kashmir, to hospital in Muzaffarabad. (Date taken: 26 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051226adf8195319_035 Captain Connie Jongeneel, followed by the patient's mother and grandmother, carries a critically ill child through earthquake rubble to a waiting helicopter for an aeromedical evacuation from Dhanni to hospital in Muzaffarabad, Kashmir. (Date taken: 26 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res