BOLKIAH GARRISON, Wednesday, 30 December 2020 – The Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat received COVID-19 laboratory equipment from the Australian Government’s Department of Defence through Her Excellency Tiffany McDonald, Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam at an official handover ceremony that took place at Bolkiah Garrison Medical Complex today.
Her Excellency Tiffany McDonald acknowledged Brunei’s efforts in the management of COVID-19 and recognised RBAF’s role in the whole-of-nation response to Brunei’s COVID-19 testing framework. Highlighting the working visit to RBAF’s COVID-19 temporary laboratory facilities early last month, Her Excellency expressed hope that the new equipment will assist in establishing a permanent laboratory at Bolkiah Garrison Medical Complex.
Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat expressed his appreciation and welcomed more bilateral engagements between the two countries’ military medical communities through the upcoming ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Military Medicine that Australia and Brunei will co-chair in 2020-2023 and the virtual ASEAN Military Medicine Conference that will take place in May 2021 featuring topics on “Pandemic Preparedness”. The RBAF Commander also hope these efforts will create more opportunities for exchanges and collaborative research in military medicine.
Also in attendance were Colonel (U) Abdul Rahman bin Haji Durahman, RBAF Chief of Staff , Colonel (U) Haji Mohd Muluddin bin Awang Haji Latif, Director of Intelligence MINDEF, Colonel Haji Abdul Kadir bin Haji Mahmud, Director of Logistics MINDEF, Colonel Dr Haji Awang Mohd Hafizul bin Haji Awang Hassan, Chief Medical Officer RBAF, and Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hauser, Australian High Commission’s Defence Adviser.
MAJLIS PENYERAHAN ALAT KELENGKAPAN MAKMAL COVID-19
BOLKIAH GARISON, Rabu, 30 Disember 2020 – Pemerintah Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB), Mejar Jeneral (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat telah menerima alat-alat kelengkapan makmal COVID-19 daripada Jabatan Pertahanan Kerajaan Australia melalui Puan Yang Terutama Tiffany McDonald, Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Australia kepada Negara Brunei Darussalam di sebuah majlis penyerahan di Kompleks Perubatan Bolkiah Garison.
Puan Yang Terutama Tiffany McDonald mengakui usaha Brunei dalam pengurusan COVID-19 dan menyedari peranan ABDB dalam memberikan tindak balas melalui pendekatan whole-of-nation terhadap kerangka ujian COVID-19 Brunei. Menekankan semula lawatan kerja Puan Yang Terutama ke makmal sementara ABDB pada awal bulan lepas, beliau berharap kelengkapan baru ini akan membantu dalam mewujudkan makmal tetap di Kompleks Perubatan Bolkiah Garison.
Mejar Jeneral (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat menyatakan penghargaannya dan mengalu-alukan lebih banyak hubungan dua hala di antara komuniti perubatan tentera kedua-dua negara melalui ADMM Plus Experts’ Working Group in Military Medicine yang dipengerusikan bersama oleh Australia dan Brunei pada 2020-2023 dan melalui Persidangan Perubatan Ketenteraan ASEAN (ASEAN Military Medicine Conference) secara maya yang akan diadakan pada Mei 2020 yang akan memaparkan topik-topik mengenai “Kesiapsiagaan Pandemik”. Pemerintah ABDB juga berharap usaha sebegini akan membuka lebih banyak peluang pertukaran dan penyelidikan kolaboratif dalam perubatan ketenteraan.
Turut hadir di majlis tersebut adalah Kolonel (U) Abdul Rahman bin Haji Durahman, Ketua Staf ABDB, Kolonel (U) Haji Mohd Muluddin bin Awang Haji Latif, Pengarah Jabatanarah Perisikan Kementerian Pertahanan (KEMENTAH), Kolonel Haji Abdul Kadir bin Haji Mahmud, Pengarah Jabatanarah Logistik KEMENTAH, Kolonel Dr Haji Awang Mohd Hafizul bin Haji Awang Hassan, Ketua Pegawai Perubatan ABDB dan Leftenan Kolonel Dan Hauser, Penasihat Pertahanan kepada Suruhanjaya Tinggi Australia.