The Victoria-Vanuatu Physician Project (ViVa) was a Canadian

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

of physicians and their families from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. For 24 years it supplied a medical doctor to the island of Tanna,

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

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History

In 1990, CUSO International approached the James Bay Community ProjectJames Bay Community Project, Victoria BC, Canad
website
/ref> in the city of

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Canada, with the objective of creating a professional and cultural connection between Canada and another

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

country.Swale, Simon "CUSO Emphasizes Building Alliances
Tok Blong Pasifik Issue 49 Spring 1995
Newsletter of the Pacific Peoples Partnership After consultation with the Victoria Medical SocietyVictoria Medical Society, Victoria, British Columbia, Canad
website
/ref> and the Government of the

Republic of Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

, it was decided to start a project that would provide medical doctors for rural Vanuatu.In 1991, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu and the Victoria Doctors Association, later renamed the Victoria-Vanuatu Physician Project (also Society or Association) or ViVa for short. The job description was for 6-month postings as

Medical Superintendent A chief physician, also called a head physician, physician in chief, senior consultant, or chief of medicine, is a physician in a senior management position at a hospital or other institution. In many institutions, it is the title of the most sen ...

Tafea Tafea is the southernmost of the six Provinces of Vanuatu, provinces of Vanuatu. The name is an acronym for the five main islands that make up the province: Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna, Erromango and Aniwa. History Unlike the other provinces of V ...

province, stationed at

Lenakel Lenakel is the largest town on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It has a population of 1,473. It is located on the west coast of the island near the administrative capital of Isangel and serves as a major port of entry. Language It is the cente ...

Hospital on the island of Tanna. In 1994, CUSO International assisted the ViVa organization in establishing itself as an independent Canadian non-profit society with registered charity status and the MOU was revised.Memorandum of Understanding Between the Victoria-Vanuatu Physicians Society and the Government of Vanuatu 1994 available a
archive.org
/ref> From 1991 to 2015, ViVa provided continuous physician coverage for Tafea province. As Medical Superintendent, the ViVa doctor's responsibilities included inpatient and outpatient care at Lenakel Hospital, minor surgeries and obstetrics, and regular visits to the nine Tafea provincial health outposts.Oakey-Baker, Sue "Traces of Tanna: Canadian doctors work with Melanesian population in South Pacific
Pique NewsMagazine 2017;August 17
/ref>Khazei, Afshin "Reflections: Performing Caesarian Sections in the Dark
Canadian Family Physician 2000 May:46 p1028
/ref>

Iolu Abil Iolu Johnson Abil (born 17 February 1942) is a Vanuatuan politician. He was elected and sworn in as the president of Vanuatu on 2 September 2009. Biography Personal life Abbil is from Tanna island, which is located in Vanuatu's southernmost Tafe ...

, former Vanuatu President, said the following in a November 2012 public speech during a visit by the Canadian High Commissioner Michael Small: ''"I wish to note in particular a special arrangement currently in place, whereby experienced Canadian medical doctors are being recruited on a 6-months rotational basis to serve our main hospital for the Southern province of Tafea. I wish to further note that such service touches the very core of our people's lives and has a long-term positive impact on the over-all welfare of our people, for which we are truly grateful."'' as reported by Glenda Shing in "Head of State Welcomes High Commissioner of Canada" Vanuatu Daily Post 30 November 2012Letter to The Canadian Doctors Association from The Native Paramount Custom Chiefs 2015-02-01 available a
archives.org
/ref> In 2014 ViVa could no longer recruit enough Victoria physicians to sustain the project.Vanuatu Daily Post “Medical Doctor needed for Lenakel�

/ref> At the same time, ni-Van (native Vanuatu) medical student graduates were returning from training in Cuba and China and would soon be available for placement around the country.Roberts, Anita "More doctors trained in Cuba returning to Vanuatu

/ref> ViVa gave 6-months written notice to the Government of Vanuatu of its intention to terminate the project. The Vanuatu Ministry of Health developed a transitional medical staffing plan to provide a rotation of ni-Van doctors to the Island.Vanuatu Daily Post "Vanuatu Outreach Program kicks off in Tafea province

/ref> On the 13th of March, 2015, six weeks after the last ViVa doctor left Vanuatu, the country was struck by

Cyclone Pam Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the second List of the most intense tropical cyclones, most intense tropical cyclone of the South Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of ...

, a Category 5 hurricane. The hospital and many homes were damaged or destroyed.Roberts, Anita "Lenakel Hospital damaged beyond comprehension
Vanuatu Daily Post 28 March 2015
/ref> ViVa changed its mandate to humanitarian relief and raised CAN$ 150,000 for rebuilding.Hager, Mike "B.C. doctors say more help needed in Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam
Toronto Globe and Mail 17 March 2015
/ref>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation "Cyclone Pam: Volunteer B.C. doctor seeks help for Vanuatu victims
On the Coast CBC News 16 March 2015
/ref>Carter, Mike "Dawson Creek doctor wants to help cyclone-hit Vanuatu
Dawson Creek Mirror Newspaper 23 March 2015
/ref>Marple, Stacy "Cyclone Pam hits the hearts of Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii Observer Newspaper 06 April 2015
/ref>Leduc E, Veres L, "Report: Vanuatu Visit 09-18 Dec 2015" available a
archives.org
/ref> Over the next 3 years, ViVa worked, from a distance, with the Australian

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of Port Macquarie (District 9650), New South Wales,Vanuatu Daily Post "Rotary District 9650 maintains commitment to Vanuatu under new leadership
Vanuatu Daily Post 20 July 2017
/ref> and the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office to use this money to renovate and repair the Lenakel Hospital and staff housing.Roberts, Anita "Contract signed for health repair works on Tafea

/ref> Funds were exhausted and repairs completed in 2018. In March 2019, the Victoria-Vanuatu Physician Association revoked its charity status with the Canadian Revenue Agency and dissolved as a society.

Administration

ViVa was a voluntary organization of physicians with no employees. Funds raised were used to subsidize return travel costs for the ViVa doctor and family, maintain and replace the doctor's motor vehicle as needed, and to purchase some medical equipment. The Government of Vanuatu provided housing, work visas, medical licensure, and salary (local scale) for each new doctor. Most ViVa doctors were general practitioners with at least 3 years of clinical experience recruited from the greater Victoria area or elsewhere in British Columbia. Some Victoria specialist physicians provided advanced-skills training. A minimum 7-day crossover period allowed the incoming doctor and family to live and work on Tanna with the outgoing doctor and family.Slobodian, Sandy "ViVa Brings Canada and Vanuatu Closer Together
Tok Blong Pasifik Issue 49 Spring 1995 p22
Newsletter of the Pacific Peoples PartnershipLeduc, Eugene "Mitufala dokta lanem plenti long Vanuatu! (We two doctors learned a lot in Vanuatu!)
BCMJ 2010:52(3) p129
/ref>

References

{{reflist Canada–Vanuatu relations 1991 establishments in British Columbia Organizations based in Victoria, British Columbia 2019 disestablishments in British Columbia