Page 58 - RADC Bulletin 2021

DEPLOYMENT
Ascension Island MACA Capt C Parry
Arriving in RAF Brize Norton on 9 Jul 21, I boarded an A400 set for Ascension Island. Ascension Island is an approximately 1 million years old tropical volcanic island
in an isolated spot in the South Atlantic. Almost equidistant from South America and Africa, the nearest inhabited land mass is St Helena 450miles away. The island is home to a shared RAF and USAF Airfield. The island was heavily used in the Falkland War as a staging post for the British.
The island has a PAR of approximately 850 and this consists of RAF service personnel, contractors, conservationists, NAAFI staff and Turkish labourers (working on the runaway). There is a small dental surgery with one nurse and a small dental lab, but no lab technician.
The Island is COVID-19 free and huge efforts are made to keep it so. There is very limited access to specialised healthcare and flights are extremely infrequent so medical evacuation cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, although a ’green’ destination, I was required to isolate for 10 days. We were swabbed
at the airport upon landing and taken to isolation blocks where we were split into small isolation groups. I was in a group with a DIO Royal Engineer LE Captain, the new Commander Ascension Island Base (CAIB) and his wife. After running the Chester AGP Hub, undertaking 3 months of vaccinating in Wales and working in 2 DRPT’s, 10 days of isolation was a much welcomed bit of R&R.
After completing the 10 days it was
time to familiarise myself with the Island.
I moved to accommodation in the RAF base at Travellers Hill, shadowed by Green Mountain. It is a community of contractors and 19 RAF personnel, there is a NAAFI complex and mess dining facility and most importantly a bar.
The Dental Centre is in the largest ‘town’ on the island, George Town. Surrounded
by three forts, the oldest dating to the 17th Century, it consists of a plethora of historic buildings and modern huts and is flanked by two white sand beaches the likes of which you would see on a holiday brochure cover. The sea is crystal blue but since 2016 there has been a ban on swimming due to the huge Galapagos Sharks which unfortunately have taken to attacking and killing people.
The Dental Centre, much like my usual DC Weeton, has poor infrastructure but is well equipped and enthusiastically staffed. Samara the nurse/PM/Cleaner/handy lady explained that there was a long list of patients eagerly awaiting my arrival. Since COVID it has
been more difficult to order supplies/send lab work to the UK as the logistics chain has been affected; flights and shipments are less frequent. However, they had ordered in bulk and were fairly well stocked.
So began 7 weeks of clinics, like my NHS days, it was a mixed demographic including those with polypharmacy, paediatric patients and people from all over the world. There was a real need to think about treatment plans and options, having to take into account what the patient needed and wanted as well as factoring in resource
availability, their time on the island and job role. Discussions with the patients about the above usually lead to the most appropriate treatment plan.
The island is an incredible place and I had ample time to explore and get involved in life with the RAF. Fishing, Letter Box walks, Circuits, Cinema, Water polo, Beach BBQs and all other manner of activities.
In summary if you have the opportunity to work on Ascension Island take it! It is a great opportunity to see a place relatively few people get to visit, work with a diverse patient demographic and hone your skills in working in a remote environment.
56 RADC BULLETIN 2021