American doctors with the U.S. Army Reserves have had their first taste of medical practice in Samoa and acknowledged the lack of resources available to local doctors and nurses.

The Soifua Manuia clinics started on Thursday and will run for two weeks. Six U.S. Army doctors who are part of the United States Army Reserve based in Honolulu, Hawaii are in the country to assist in the local district hospitals with providing health services to the public. 

Lieutenant Colonel Maribel Occhiuzzo is a physician assistant with the 1984th U.S. Army Hospital of the Pacific and is assisting in running Soifua Manuia clinics at Poutasi District Hospital and Leulumoega District Hospital from 12-26 October 2023.

This comes after the U.S. Embassy and the Government of Samoa announced a joint collaboration aimed at improving healthcare in Samoa, according to a statement issued earlier this week.

“We are on a mission to Samoa with a team of six people, two nurses and three medics with me,” Lt. Col. Occhiuzzo told the Samoa Observer. “We are not here to augment or do anything above what the clinic already does. 

"It is to support what they are already doing and also learn from everyone and see what their challenges are. Our mission is to see if this is what you need and how we can help you in the future."

Lt. Col. Occhiuzzo said her time here has allowed her to see some differences and similarities in terms of her service in the military.

“It is a little bit different, I have been through combat twice and this is a lot like combat medicine in that you don’t have a lot of medication, you don’t have any labs, x-rays and you’re just trying to get through the day," she said. 

"It is an environment that we have worked in before and that is why we are here because we understand how hard it is to provide medical care when you are limited in resources. And no one is shooting at us which is really good.

"We visited about 10 years ago and we are back to see how we can help out. We plan on being more common partners and coming here more often. 

"This time we are here to observe, see what’s going on, what you guys need and next time we can boost that up with more people or more equipment, something to help you guys get better.

“With what they have, they have been doing an amazing job and it’s good to see things up and running and that they’re dealing with all the problems that they have.”

Major Rosie Santos, also from the 1984th US Hospital Unit in the Army, is grateful for the experience of being in Samoa and for providing her medical skills to assist the people of Samoa.

“We are here on a medical mission to not only provide and help care for the local community at the hospital here but to also further assist and how we can further assist with our future missions here,” she said. “So far we are just getting used to how the staff here functions as a unit. 

"We see that there is a lack of resources and to use what we have or contribute to making it better. If this means bringing equipment to be better prepared and we know that next time we come we can bring other things that can be helpful.” 

The American medical team will be here for the next two weeks providing high-quality healthcare services to the two district hospitals in Leulumoenga and Poutasi with the purpose of improving healthcare in Samoa.