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Iwas fortunate enough to be able to extend in post for another twelve months, so my Brunei adventure
continues into its third year. PCRF Brunei is located within the Primary Care Medical Facility, an extremely mixed and large team of doctors, medics, nurses and admin staff who are a mixture of military and civilian and comprised of nearly a dozen different nationalities. It is certainly the most diverse department I have ever worked in. The PCRF opened in 2019 and after three years of uplift work, started by my predecessor and completed by myself, it is now a gold standard facility, with the only issue that we are running out of space to store all of the kit. The PCRF itself is a small team, the husband and wife physio duo of Dave and Mel Bradshaw and the working environment is excellent, whomever takes this job over from me will get the opportunity to work with a fantastic team.
The biggest change between this year and the last is that after more than two years, Brunei finally opened its borders for travel. It is located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, Brunei is perfectly situated in South East Asia to explore some amazing countries on your doorstep. At the time of writing this article in the past eleven months, I have been to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand multiple times, Vietnam, Bali and Japan. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was the chance to travel, and although C-19 initially put a stop to that, I am more than making up for it now. The Resident Infantry Battalion, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR) has been enlightening and unique working alongside them. One
SSgt (SSI) A Rizvi RAPTC
PRIMARY CARE REHABILITATION FACILITY BRUNEI
of the main efforts of the last year was managing the full patient caseload during the handover/takeover, as the 1st and 2nd Battalions swapped between the UK and Brunei. This transition was seamless thanks to the hard work and help of the rehab team in Folkestone. Our primary goal continues to deliver the best of care and rehabilitation to all soldiers who require it; as we are an overseas location, the PCRF also rehabilitates members of dependant families. The year was rounded off perfectly with a Garrison Support Troops overseas AT Exped to Japan at
the Hakuba ski resort, with twenty-four soldiers working towards SF1 and SF2 and then some time sightseeing in Tokyo after a great week on the slopes.
To conclude, this will be my last article submission in post here. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years in this unique location and all the challenges and rewards it has brought; I encourage whoever takes over from me to immerse yourself in the local culture both Bruneian and Nepalese and to beast Skyscanner exploring this beautiful part of the world.
Ex FROSTED KUKRI complete
SSgt (SSI) A Rizvi and team working towards SF2