- The earth brown background and brown
borders represent the soil and mud that affected so many Pakistani people after
weeks of torrential rain fell, causing flooding of almost 50% of Pakistan.
- The Star of Life represents the quick
response of Medical Aid Australia who responded to help the people of Pakistan.
- The white border inside the Star of
Life represents a peaceful mission – no arms or weapons were taken into
Pakistan by Australian forces.
- The two flags inside the Star of Life,
both a modified version of the Australian National Flag and the Pakistan Flag,
represent Australia and Pakistan working together to help the people of
Pakistan during the devastating floods in July 2010.
Operation Pakistan
Assist II was
Australia’s military 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 contributed to the co-led AusAID and military
Australian Medical Task Force
which consisted of both civilian and military
medical and environmental health professionals.
The Medical Task Force was 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 was jointly
commanded by Wing Commander Ross Wadsworth and Mr Thanh Le from
AusAID. The Task Force was 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 were used to transport the
AusAID stores and AMTF personnel to Pakistan.
The health facility provided primary
health care, similar to a general practice, that included 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.