NZ medical supplies leave for Bali

A load of urgently needed medical supplies is being airlifted to Bali today thanks to the generosity of several donors, Aid Minister Marian Hobbs said today.

The equipment is destined for Sanglah hospital in Denpasar, Bali, where it will be used to treat Balinese people injured in the Kuta bombing of October 12.

Doctors, suppliers and transport companies are working with the New Zealand government to make sure the medical supplies reach their destination as soon as possible.

"This is a wonderful effort by concerned New Zealanders and others to help save lives," Marian Hobbs said.

The government, through its international development agency NZAID, is paying for the medical supplies.

The companies and organisations that have made the project possible are:

Dr John Simpson, director of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, who has played a key role in coordinating the operation; Smith and Nephew Ltd (Auckland), which has supplied burns dressings. Whitford Medical Ltd (Auckland), which has supplied pulse oximeters - instruments for measuring oxygen levels in blood. The Airline Company and Garuda Indonesia airline, which are flying the equipment to Bali free of charge. DHL Couriers, which will get the equipment to Auckland airport free of charge; The Australian Consulate General in Bali, which is arranging customs clearance and delivery of the equipment to the hospital; The medical equipment is scheduled to be loaded onto a Garuda flight leaving Auckland at 2.35 this afternoon (Wednesday).

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