YWAM Medical Ships – Australia has signed a million dollar lease to buy agreement for the purchase of the MV Ammari to replace a 34-year-old vessel it currently has operating as a training and medical ship in Papua New Guinea.
The organisation aims to raise a further $5.5 million to buy the ship and is planning a public awareness tour along Australia’s east coast later this year to raise the finances. The Papua New Guinean Government has already contributed $1.5 million towards the vessel’s purchase.
The current vessel has been operating in PNG for five years and is due to retire at the end of this year.
Ken Mulligan, managing director of YWAM MSA, says the purchase is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the “enduring friendship” between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
“The MV Ammari will enable us to expand our capacity in helping to reach the poor and the isolated through overcoming inhospitable terrain, significant infrastructure challenges and the extreme remoteness of many PNG communities that are only accessible by water.”
It is proposed the new ship – which will be fitted with an operating theatre, dental clinic, outpatient medical/surgical care facility, laboratory and lecture room – would operate as a “mother ship” with tenders taking teams of health professionals into PNG to help rural health workers and individuals in areas including primary health care, dentistry, optometry and ophthalmology.