Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The defence force today opened a new Regional Military Health Training Centre set to provide training on health and disaster management to military students from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The United States (US) government has contributed about R20-million towards the building and refurbishing of the training facility.

Deputy Chief Minister of US mission Gillian Milovanovic officially opened the facility housed at the South African Military Health School in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria.

Ms Milovanovic represented the US d'Affaires Department at the function.

She said the facility would assist SADC countries and beyond, to fulfill the mission of providing a comprehensive, excellent and self-supporting multidisciplinary military health service.

Ms Milovanovic added that this would ensure a 'healthy military community' in South Africa, SADC and other African countries.

Ms Milovanovic said there was quite a need for quality training to ensure that disasters such as earthquakes, floods and disease outbreaks were best attended to in order to minimise their impact on citizens.

The SA National Defence Force's (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Jansen van Rensberg saluted the US government for investing in the region.

Lieutenant-General Van Rensburg said the training was the backbone for capacity building within the SANDF and defence forces within the region.

He said the training centre would help produce skilled health care providers, 'able to render effective emergency care and assist during surgery in emergency situations.'

He added it would help 'render operational health on the battlefield...one of the most pressing needs for the South African Region is training in disaster medicine.'

'Through the training of military personnel in lifesaving skills, you establish a skilled health care professional that takes knowledge and attitude back home to their communities to become a force multiplier in providing the country with personnel able to address local humanitarian needs,' he added.

The military health centre has a refurbished simulation laboratory with twelve practical stations, 120-seat auditorium, three furnished classrooms with 30 donated computers for computerised interactive learning.

The centre is presently awaiting the delivery of R7-million worth of practical equipment for the laboratory.