A very unique medical practice in the heart of the jungle
In the 10,000 square miles of swamp and forest that form the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, leprosy, malaria and typhoid are common diseases. They are kept at bay only by the dedicated work of Australian medic, Graham Zerk, and his 38-strong medical staff. For six years, they ran a jungle hospital at Balimo, a small town in the heart of the region. Zerk’s Herculean task to provide healthcare for the 100,000 inhabitants of the jungle was always impeded by the terrain, with canoes the only mode of transport. But in 1993 a British expedition arrived in Balimo armed with two hovercraft. Hoverdoctors of Papua New Guinea follows the team’s efforts to expand Zerk’s medical centre into a fully-operational hoverdoctor service.
