Page 13 - LBV 2024

Medical
Elective –
Brunei
I recently travelled to Brunei for a short medical placement with the British Army. My aim was not just to see the responsibilities and challenges facing medicine in the British Forces Garrison Primary Care Medical Facility (PCMF), but also to understand life as an officer overseas, and of course to experience the beautiful and quiet country of Brunei Darussalam. I was immersed in different units and capabilities: from the Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (QOLGR) who met me at the airport,
to 230 Sqn RAF, the Puma-flying unit responsible for urgent evacuations from the perpetual jungle training exercises. Alongside this, I was given insight into a diverse array of clinical and cultural experiences.
Spending most weekdays at the PCMF, I was fortunate to observe
and play a role in a range of clinical environments. A key moment for me was during a consultation I led for a Gurkha family whose infant had been bitten
by a stray animal. The notes reported
the baby was scratched. While I wasn’t expecting to see a query rabies exposure, by the end of the session we had booked the patient in to begin treatment that
day. I was also involved in routine baby immunisations, in home visits, and in community engagement events for the dependents of service personnel. It was clear to me that while some resources were plentiful there, such as time with
a physiotherapist, other factors, like
the availability of vaccines was being stretched thin. This was partly due to the logistic strain of a 7,000 mile separation from the UK.
Additionally, supporting senior medical staff on a reconnaissance visit to Miri Hospital in Malaysia provided firsthand experience in assessing the suitability of medical facilities for deployed personnel. This demonstrated the importance of establishing robust partnerships with local healthcare providers to ensure
the welfare of service members. One
of the highlights of the visit was the
time spent learning about the jungle casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) process, including a flight to the opposite border of the nation aboard a Puma helicopter. Observing the many briefs and orders, seeing simulated winching operations, and conversing with Jungle Warfare
Instructors emphasized to me the critical role of medical personnel in operational readiness and emergency response planning.
Much like the mission of adventurous training, this placement challenged
me to step outside my comfort zone and adapt to unfamiliar environments, from delivering a teaching session on medical assessment protocols to an interview on the radio about my life
as a reservist. My time in Brunei has deepened my understanding of military medicine’s operational, clinical, and cultural dimensions. Coming away from this experience, I am excited to see how the many lessons learned will shape my future contribution to my unit, the Army Medical Services, and Defence as a whole.
2Lt Tom Selway, CUOTC
THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER 13