Flying Doctors and flights of mercy BY LLOYD GORMAN Irish Scene was one of the first media outlets anywhere to publish (on March 26 and 27) the story of the sudden exodus of Irish people - including dozens of doctors and nurses - flying at short notice from Perth to Ireland to do their bit in the fight against COVID-19. The first of the two articles - published while they were still en-route back to Ireland - attracted more than 10,000 online readers within hours of the story going live, Irish Scene’s biggest ever readership for a single story, a sure sign of the community interest in their manic mission. But some criticised them openly for abandoning their adopted country, fleeing it in its hour of need. That view demands a response. While they obviously made what they felt was the right decision for them it would not have been an easy choice. Many of them made split second decisions to walk away from lives they had built in Australia. That takes courage. Every one of them would have had their own personal reasons why they chose to go. Family. Duty. Maybe a
friend had contracted coronavirus or a loved one was at high risk. Who wouldn’t rush to protect their family and friends and fellow citizens if they could? They were not flown back at the expense of the taxpayer here, or in Australia, they paid for their own tickets. And what would those critics say about Australian medics living and working abroad who were doing exactly the same thing and trying to get back home to be of help. Should they not be encouraged to come? As events (at time of writing) have proved, the decision of so many Irish medics to return to Ireland was absolutely the right thing to do. Thankfully (again at time of writing) the measures Australian political and health systems have been able to put in place have worked incredibly well. Ireland has not been so fortunate and their need for healthcare professionals is greater. More than a thousand medically trained people returned to Ireland to support their Irish colleagues in the fight against COVID-19. Every single one of them would have made a contribution that money can’t buy. The fact that about ten per cent of them came from Australia, from Perth, is something we should be proud of. Speaking in the Dail recently Health Minister Simon Harris said he would try to encourage as many of them to remain after the crisis has abated. Some may well do that but others may come back to Australia again. Whatever they choose to do they deserve our thanks and respect, just like every other hospital and healthcare worker on the frontline. The following is an edited version of the stories that appeared on the Irish Scene Facebook site on March 26/27.
A Qantas airliner - chartered by the Irish government carrying 170 Irish people - eighty of them doctors and nurses - scrambling to get ‘home’ left Perth, Western Australian on Wednesday of this week. It came as most carriers slash or even stop most of their international routes in recent days and some countries close their borders. The large contingent of medicos - mainly from WA hospitals - all responded to the Irish government’s “On Call for Ireland” drive for qualified or retired personnel to sign up as volunteers in a national campaign against the pandemic. “There were many happy people heading home,” Ireland’s
Honorary Consulate in Perth, Marty Kavanagh told Irish Scene. The mercy mission - which does not appear to have been picked up by local (WA) news outlets but has been reported by some Irish media - is understood to have flown the Perth to London route. Qantas - which is headed up by Irish aviation boss Alan Joyce - launched the direct route in March 2019. Once there other arrangements were made to get the passengers then flying to Ireland where they will have to selfisolate for 14 days, and also register with bodies such as the Irish Medical Council. In a short statement Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney confirmed the “successful departure” on Wednesday (March 25) had 170 Irish citizens on board.
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