A medical and dental mission from Tahiti visited two isolated atolls in French Polynesia last month, the first such mission in three years.
Tematangi in the south-eastern Tuamotu Archipelago, about 985km from Tahiti, has 61 inhabitants. Its nearest neighbour is Mururoa atoll which is 161km away.
The Hereheretue atoll, with only 57 inhabitants, is 488 km from Tahiti. Hereheretue's nearest neighbour is Anuanuraro, about 150 km away.
Medical mission arriving on Tematangi atoll Photo: French Polynesia Government
Visiting the atolls is challenging, as both are geographically isolated and neither has an airstrip.
The medical mission comprised of Dr Pierre-Arthur Colavolpe, nurse Mayor Brotherson, dental surgeon Adrien Gouzel and dental assistant Christiane Tupuaiooro.
The journey was complicated and arduous but is the reality of providing services to the inhabitants of such remote areas.
Medical mission transferring gear onto a barge before heading to Hereheretue atoll Photo: French Polynesia Government
The team chartered their catamaran on 5 December, and docked at Tureia on 13 December. It was then a 20 hour sail to Tematangi, where 13 inhabitants received care consultation and 43 received prevention visits. While the medical team vaccinated 34 people against Covid 19, the dental team worked 12 hours each day and examined about two-thirds of the population.
The catamaran the medical mission travelled on to reach Tematangi and Hereheretue atolls Photo: French Polynesia Government
On 16 December the team sailed to Hereheretue, a 42 hour trip, where they carried out 18 care consultations and 29 prevention visits including 26 vaccinations. The dental team continued their gruelling schedule, working long into the night and not stopping for evening meals.
Medical transferring gear onto a raft that will head to Tematangi atoll Photo: French Polynesian Government
Finally, the return voyage to Tahiti took 46 hours.
The 2 atolls were delighted with this medical tour. Their most recent prior medical visit had come last June when the frigate "Le Prairial" visited as part of Operation Resilience, mission Ora Ora. The frigate used its Alouette helicopter to deploy a 3 person vaccination team to the atolls.
The cost of the December mission is estimated at 3 million CPF Francs. However, the Ministry of Health has asked the Administrator of the Tuamotu-Gambier islands, Dr Francois Laudon, to schedule annual missions to provide closer health monitoring for the people of these remote atolls.